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
(Former fighter pilot here) Fighter aircraft almost ALWAYS operate in numbers. Think of it like a football team…having specific roles played by individuals in any given scenario. However, why CLOSE formation? I mean, it looks like they are just showing off right? Answer:
Close formation also allows aircraft to penetrate weather (clouds) together and not lose sight of one another. Yes, things have changed over the years with the advent of radar and such. However, there are times (like when flying on the tanker)…where you just need to, “tuck it in,” and fly into clouds together. What it looks like within is like flying close formation, but with no horizon in a very dense fog.
The alternative is having members of the formation going, “lost wingman,” where getting back together can become a giant cluster you-know-what.
Latest Answers