MiG vs. Sabre: Dueling Warplanes Over Korea

In honor of Independence Day, NOVA will air “Missing in MiG Alley,” an hour-long documentary about the American and Russian soldiers who fought in history’s first “jet war,” the Korean War. The program examines the new piloting techniques and innovative jet technologies that would change combat forever.

Below, you’ll find an interactive comparison of the dueling Russian MiG-15bis and the American F-86 Sabre, which I created for the show’s companion site on NOVA Online.

The MiG and the Sabre pushed aviation technology to its limits during the Korean War. When they met in dogfights over the Yalu River, in an area nicknamed MiG Alley, both fighters overshadowed their predecessors through sharp climbs, steep dives, tight turns, and nearly supersonic speeds. They were closely matched in myriad ways, but the planes’ designers made different structural and aerodynamic trade-offs while developing their rival jets. Along with pilot skill and luck, these technological differences helped determine which side prevailed in any given dogfight. Take a close look at these two pioneering planes and see how they differed. (Just click on the image below and the interactive anatomy will pop out into a new window.)

Click above to compare the MiG-15bis and F-86 Sabre

NOVA’s “Missing in MiG Alley” will air on PBS this Tuesday, July 6 at 8 p.m., EST. You can check your local listings for additional air dates and times.