Kawasaki T-4 “Dolphin”, Blue Impulse

By Htam

@ Nagoya, Japan

April 2026

My first visit to the Aichi Museum of Flight brought me face to face with this Kawasaki T-4 jet trainer. This example was retired from the Blue Impulse flight demonstration team and still wears the team livery. The T-4 is nicknamed Dolphin due to the similarity of the nose profile to the bottlenose dolphin. First flown in 1985, more than 200 were produced for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The T-4 is the third aircraft type to be used by the Blue Impulse team, the first show with these was in April 1996. As of 2026, this is one of only three T-4 aircraft retired and publicly displayed.