Blue Impulse
Encyclopedia
, or 11 Squadron, is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force
. Originally founded in 1960 as a team of six F-86 Sabre
s, the team switched to the Mitsubishi T-2
in 1980 and then to the Kawasaki T-4 in 1995. They are based at Matsushima Air Base, which was heavily damaged by a tsunami on March 11, 2011
.
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Origin
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| In Service *
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Service **
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| reference column
|----
|North American F-86F Sabre || || 34 || 1960–1981 || JASDF Technical Research Section. 5 aircraft formation.
|----
|Mitsubishi T-2
||
Japan
|| 11 || 1982–1995 || 4 AW 21 Sq. Technical Research Section. 6 aircraft formation.
|----
|Kawasaki T-4 || Japan
|| 11 || 1995– || 4 AW 11 Sq. 6 aircraft formation.
* Number of aircraft used by the Blue Impulse acrobatic team.
** Aircraft service with the Blue Impulse acrobatic team.
. The team used F-86F Sabre fighters which did not have a special color scheme. After four demonstrations, the team was disbanded. The next year the USAF Thunderbirds visited Japan, and inspired Japan's Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) commanding officers to establish an official aerobatic team. In 1960 the new team was formed at Hamamatsu airbase flying five F-86F fighters, with three of the pilots coming from Japan's 1958 team.
The first demonstration of the new team "Tenryu" (named after a river
near the air base), was on March 4, 1960 in Hamamatsu. However this name was hard to pronounce in western languages, so the team was renamed Blue Impulse. The planes were equipped with smoke generators using five different colors for each plane: white, red, blue, green, and yellow. The planes were painted in silver, light blue, blue and pink; on the leader's plane, the blue is replaced by gold. In the next year, all five jets received special demonstration paint schemes of white and blue. In 1964, Blue Impulse performed at the opening of the Olympic Games in Tokyo
, drawing the Olympic rings in the air with colored smoke. In 1970, at the opening of Expo '70
in Osaka, the team drew "Expo '70" in the air. In February 1982, after 545 air demonstrations, Blue Impulse stopped using the F-86F Sabre and instead began using Japanese-built Mitsubishi T-2 jets. The first air show with the new planes was on June 25 at the team's new Matsushima airbase. On November 14, 1982, during a bomb-burst maneuver at a Hamamatsu air display, plane #4 failed to pull up in time and crashed into a building, killing the pilot and injured 11 people on the ground. This accident brought to a halt the team's performances for the year. At Expo '90
in Osaka, Blue Impulse performed at the opening event and drew the "Expo '90" logo in the air. Blue Impulse suffered another accident on July 4, 1991 over the Pacific Ocean, as planes #2 and #4 crashed during a training flight. This disaster again stopped the team's performances for a year.
The team's last performance with the Mitsubishi T-2 was in December 1995, after 175 demonstrations with these aircraft. The new Blue Impulse aircraft became the Japanese-built Kawasaki T-4 trainer, and the first show with these planes was on April 5, 1996. In 1997, the team made their first foreign debut at the Nellis AFB
air show in Nevada, USA. In 1998 Blue Impulse performed at the Winter Olympics in Nagano
, Japan. On July 4, 2000, during a training flight, planes #5 and #6 crashed, claiming the lives of three people. The incident occurred about 25 km east of Matsushima Air Base. Blue Impulse also performed at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
; on June 4, 2002, they performed at the opening of the Japan versus Belgium match.
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
The , or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining an extensive network of ground and air early warning radar systems...
. Originally founded in 1960 as a team of six F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
s, the team switched to the Mitsubishi T-2
Mitsubishi T-2
The Mitsubishi T-2 was a jet trainer aircraft used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. By March 2006, all T-2s had been retired. The F-2 succeeded the T-2 for training mission.-Development:...
in 1980 and then to the Kawasaki T-4 in 1995. They are based at Matsushima Air Base, which was heavily damaged by a tsunami on March 11, 2011
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
.
Aircraft
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Aircraft! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Origin
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| In Service *
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| Service **
! style="text-align: center; background: #aacccc;"| reference column
|----
|North American F-86F Sabre || || 34 || 1960–1981 || JASDF Technical Research Section. 5 aircraft formation.
|----
|Mitsubishi T-2
Mitsubishi T-2
The Mitsubishi T-2 was a jet trainer aircraft used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. By March 2006, all T-2s had been retired. The F-2 succeeded the T-2 for training mission.-Development:...
||
JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
|| 11 || 1982–1995 || 4 AW 21 Sq. Technical Research Section. 6 aircraft formation.
|----
|Kawasaki T-4 ||
JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
|| 11 || 1995– || 4 AW 11 Sq. 6 aircraft formation.
* Number of aircraft used by the Blue Impulse acrobatic team.
** Aircraft service with the Blue Impulse acrobatic team.
History
The first unofficial Japanese aerobatic team was formed in 1958 at Hamamatsu airbaseHamamatsu Air Base
is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base located north of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in central Japan.-History:Hamamatsu Air Base was established in 1925 as an Imperial Japanese Army Air Force base to be home to the newly-formed IJAAF No.7 Air Regiment. In 1933, it was designated as...
. The team used F-86F Sabre fighters which did not have a special color scheme. After four demonstrations, the team was disbanded. The next year the USAF Thunderbirds visited Japan, and inspired Japan's Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) commanding officers to establish an official aerobatic team. In 1960 the new team was formed at Hamamatsu airbase flying five F-86F fighters, with three of the pilots coming from Japan's 1958 team.
The first demonstration of the new team "Tenryu" (named after a river
Tenryu River
The is a river arising from Lake Suwa in Okaya, Nagano Prefecture, grazing Aichi Prefecture and flowing through western Shizuoka Prefecture in central Honshū, Japan. With a length of , it is Japan's ninth longest river.-Geography:...
near the air base), was on March 4, 1960 in Hamamatsu. However this name was hard to pronounce in western languages, so the team was renamed Blue Impulse. The planes were equipped with smoke generators using five different colors for each plane: white, red, blue, green, and yellow. The planes were painted in silver, light blue, blue and pink; on the leader's plane, the blue is replaced by gold. In the next year, all five jets received special demonstration paint schemes of white and blue. In 1964, Blue Impulse performed at the opening of the Olympic Games in Tokyo
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
, drawing the Olympic rings in the air with colored smoke. In 1970, at the opening of Expo '70
Expo '70
was a World's Fair held in Suita, Osaka, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. The theme of the Expo was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese Expo '70 is often referred to as Ōsaka Banpaku...
in Osaka, the team drew "Expo '70" in the air. In February 1982, after 545 air demonstrations, Blue Impulse stopped using the F-86F Sabre and instead began using Japanese-built Mitsubishi T-2 jets. The first air show with the new planes was on June 25 at the team's new Matsushima airbase. On November 14, 1982, during a bomb-burst maneuver at a Hamamatsu air display, plane #4 failed to pull up in time and crashed into a building, killing the pilot and injured 11 people on the ground. This accident brought to a halt the team's performances for the year. At Expo '90
Expo '90
or The International Garden and Greenery Exposition, organized as a part of the International Expositions Convention, was the first large-scale international gardening exposition in Asia and focused on the theme of the Harmonious Coexistence of Nature and Mankind". The exposition was held in...
in Osaka, Blue Impulse performed at the opening event and drew the "Expo '90" logo in the air. Blue Impulse suffered another accident on July 4, 1991 over the Pacific Ocean, as planes #2 and #4 crashed during a training flight. This disaster again stopped the team's performances for a year.
The team's last performance with the Mitsubishi T-2 was in December 1995, after 175 demonstrations with these aircraft. The new Blue Impulse aircraft became the Japanese-built Kawasaki T-4 trainer, and the first show with these planes was on April 5, 1996. In 1997, the team made their first foreign debut at the Nellis AFB
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...
air show in Nevada, USA. In 1998 Blue Impulse performed at the Winter Olympics in Nagano
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
, Japan. On July 4, 2000, during a training flight, planes #5 and #6 crashed, claiming the lives of three people. The incident occurred about 25 km east of Matsushima Air Base. Blue Impulse also performed at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
; on June 4, 2002, they performed at the opening of the Japan versus Belgium match.