For the Royal Air Force's Blue Diamond aerobatic team (1960-1977) see No. 92 Squadron RAF

The Blue Diamonds is the national aerobatic team of the Philippine Air Force

Philippine Air Force

The Philippine Air Force is the air force of the Republic of the Philippines, and one of the three main services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas....

, based at Basa Air Base

Basa Air Base

Basa Air Base , is a Philippine Air Force base located at Floridablanca, Pampanga in the Philippines....

, in Floridablanca, Pampanga

Floridablanca, Pampanga

Floridablanca is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, Floridablanca has a population of 103,388, with an area of 17,548 hectares or 175.48 square kilometers....

.

History

The team was formed in 1953 by First Lieutenant

First Lieutenant

First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...

 Jose Gonzalez and his air group. It first used P-51D Mustangs before jet aircraft were acquired. As the Air Force grew in popularity and strength, so did the team. The move into the jet age started in 1959, when the F-86D Sabre was acquired by the air force during its modernization. Lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 Lino C. Abadia was the commander at the time. It performed in the country every Aviation Week. Smoke

Smoke

Smoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires , but may also be used for pest...

 was introduced in 1958; in 1959, the team performed with the Republic of China Air Force

Republic of China Air Force

The Republic of China Air Force is the aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The ROCAF's primary mission is the defense of the airspace over and around Taiwan...

 on and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

The Thunderbirds are the air demonstration squadron of the U.S. Air Force , based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. The squadron tours the United States and much of the world, performing aerobatic formation and solo flying in specially marked USAF jet aircraft...

 on August 1. In 1963, the team did not perform, because most of the team's pilots were members of the 6th Tactical Fighter or Limbas Squadron. They were called to the Congo

Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)

The Republic of the Congo was an independent republic established following the independence granted to the former colony of the Belgian Congo in 1960...

 for a United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 peacekeeping deployment. The team first used the F-5 Freedom Fighter in 1968.

In the 1970s, crisis came to the Philippines. But in 1971, the sister team of the Blue Diamonds, the Red Aces was formed. In 1976, the team was disbanded because of the problems that came about. In 1986, it was reformed, when military problems were eased. In 2005, when the Air Force phased out their F-5s, the team was temporarily disbanded. At present, the Red Aces are dormant, awaiting the acquisition of modern aircraft. Among the types under consideration is the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 F-16 Fighting Falcon

F-16 Fighting Falcon

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...

 and F/A-18 Hornet

F/A-18 Hornet

The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...

 , the Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i Kfir

KFIR

KFIR is a radio station licensed to Sweet Home, Oregon, USA, the station serves the Willamette Valley. Albany, Corvallis, Lebanon, Salem, Sweet Home. News/Talk with Dennis Miller, Glenn Beck, Lars Larson, & Coast to Coast weekdays. The station is currently owned by Radio Fiesta Network,...

, the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Mirage 2000 and the Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 JAS 39 Gripen

JAS 39 Gripen

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. It was designed to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen in the Swedish Air Force...

.

Aircraft

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type !! Examples !! In use
|-
| P-51D Mustang || 5 aircraft || 1953–1959
|-
| F-86D || 8 aircraft || 1959–1968
|-
| F-5 Freedom Fighter || 12 aircraft || 1968-late 2005

External links

• The Blue Diamonds official website