- Blue Impulse
Nihongo|Blue Impulse|ブルーインパルス|Burū Inparusu, or 11 Squadron, is the
aerobatic demonstration team of theJapan Air Self-Defense Force . Originally formed in1960 as a team of sixF-86 Sabre s, the team switched to theMitsubishi T-2 in1980 and then theKawasaki T-4 in1995 . They are based atMatsushima Air Base .History
*
1960 : Team founded.
*1964 :1964 Summer Olympics (Tokyo ) opening.
*1982 :14 November : Accident inHamamatsu Air Base . One T-2 (#4) crashed.
*1991 :4 July : Accident in thePacific Ocean . Two T-2s (#2 and #4) crashed.
*1998 :1998 Winter Olympics (Nagano) opening.
*2000 :4 July : Accident in theOshika Peninsula . Two T-4s performing a dual solo (#5 and #6) crashed.
*2002 :4 June :2002 FIFA World Cup Japan versusBelgium (Saitama Stadium ) opening.References in pop culture
The mercenary air team "Red Impulse" and its leader from the
anime series "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman " take their name from the Blue Impulse.As characters in another anime, "
Urusei Yatsura ", are hit with enough force to send them flying into the distance, they sometimes shout "Blue Impulse!"The team have since been immortalised in its own videogame, titled Aero Dancing featuring Blue Impulse.
External links
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