JASDF Patch Display Japan Air Self Defence Force Blue Impulse 2

JASDF Patch Japan Air Self Defence Force Blue Impulse Aerobatic Display Team Patch Badge Kawasaki T 4 Dolphin Matsushima Air Base 2008 Fully embroidered cut edge 96mm by 99mm three and three quarter inches by three and seven eighth inches.

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Blue Impulse is the aerobatic demonstration team of the JASDF Japan Air Self Defense Force. 

The first unofficial post war Japanese aerobatic team was formed in 1958 at Hamamatsu airbase with F 86F Sabre fighters but disbanded after four demonstrations. The 1959 tour of Japan by the USAF Thunderbirds inspired the establishment of an official JASDF aerobatic team in 1960 at Hamamatsu airbase with five F 86F fighters from JASDF Technical Research Section. Initially the team were called Tenryu but was found hard to pronounce in western languages was renamed Blue Impulse. 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 Blue Impulse were relocated to Matsushima airbase reassigned to 4 AW 21 Squadron Technical Research Section reequipped with Mitsubishi T 2 jets for a 6 aircraft formation. On 14 November 1982 at a Hamamatsu air display plane No 4 failed crashed into a building killing the pilot and injured 11 people on the ground bringing a halt to the teams 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 4 July 1991 when as planes No 2 and No 4 crashed during a training flight which again stopped the teams performances for a year.

The teams last performance with the Mitsubishi T 2 was in December 1995 reequipping with Kawasaki T 4 trainers and reassigned to 11 Squadron at 4 AW with its first 6 aircraft show on 5 April 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 4 July 2000 planes No 5 and No 6 crashed during a training flight claiming the lives of three people. Blue Impulse also performed at the 2002 FIFA World Cup on 4 June 2002.



This patch dates from 2005