Rockwell B-1 Lancer

Role	Supersonic Strategic bomber
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	North American Rockwell/Rockwell International Boeing
First flight	23 December 1974
Introduction	1 October 1986
Status	In service
Primary user	United States Air Force
Produced	1973–74, 1983–88
Number built	B-1A: 4 B-1B: 100
Unit cost	US$283.1 million in 1998 (B-1B

The Rockwell (now part of Boeing) B-1 Lancer^{[N 1]} is a four-engine supersonic variable-sweep wing, jet-powered strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was first envisioned in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber with Mach 2 speed, and sufficient range and payload to replace the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. It was developed into the B-1B, primarily a low-level penetrator with long-range and Mach 1.25 speed capability at high altitude.
Designed by Rockwell International, the bomber's development was delayed multiple times over its history, as the theory of strategic balance changed from flexible response to massive retaliation and back again. Each change in stance changed the perceived need for manned bombers. The initial B-1A version was developed in the early 1970s, but its production was canceled, and only four prototypes were built. The need for a new platform once again surfaced in the early 1980s, and the aircraft resurfaced as the B-1B version with the focus on low-level penetration bombing. However, by this point development of stealth technology was promising an aircraft of dramatically improved capability. Production went ahead as the B version would be operational before the "Advanced Technology Bomber" (which became the B-2 Spirit), during a period when the B-52 would be increasingly vulnerable. The B-1B entered service in 1986 with the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) as a nuclear bomber.
In the early 1990s, following the Gulf War and concurrent with the disestablishment of SAC and its reassignment to the newly formed Air Combat Command (ACC), the B-1B was converted to conventional bombing use. It first served in combat during Operation Desert Fox in 1998 and again during the NATO action in Kosovo the following year. The B-1B has supported U.S. and NATO military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Lancer is the supersonic component of the USAF's long-range bomber force, along with the subsonic B-52 and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. The bomber is commonly called the "Bone" (originally from "B-One"). With the retirement of the General Dynamics/Grumman EF-111A Raven in 1998 and the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in 2006, the B-1B is the U.S. military's only active variable-sweep wing aircraft. The B-1B is expected to continue to serve into the 2030s, with the Next-Generation Bomber to start supplementing the B-1B in the 2020s.

Kawasaki T-4 "Blue Impulse"

ctive	April 12, 1960 to Present
Country	Japan
Branch	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Role	Aerobatic flight demonstration team
Garrison/HQ	Matsushima Air Base
Motto	Challenge for the Creation.
Colors	Blue White

The first unofficial Japanese aerobatic team was formed in 1958 at Hamamatsu airbase. 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 a halt to 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.