The F-86, nicknamed Sabre, is a single-seat single-fire swept-wing subsonic jet fighter developed by the United States after World War II. It is the first generation of American jet fighters. The F-86 is used for air combat, interception and bombing. It was the first fighter to go supersonic in a dive and the first in the world to be equipped with air-to-air missiles. It was the first fighter to be able to perform operations at supersonic speeds at level flight, and the first American fighter to be equipped with an ejector seat. The F-86 fighter jet was developed by North American Airlines and first flew on October 1, 1947. It entered service in 1949 and has been heavily used to support NATO countries. Its air rival is the Soviet Union's mig-15.