Eli5 why do military planes fly in a formation

Question

Does it have specific tactical advantages or is it just cool?

Edit to add: what about specific types of formations, like a Flying V vs a Diamond vs whatever else they can do?

In: 797

Answer 1

Side-stepping your question a bit: Geese fly in formation to conserve energy. The lead goose rotates around the formation, so that each get a chance to “drift” in the wake of others.