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
Mostly covered in responses above but also close formations permit you to operate as a single speaking unit for domestic phases of flying. You can depart, recover and sequence 40+ jets on an exercise without 40+ people speaking on the radio and requiring sequencing from each other.
The minimum fighting unit is a pair, the biggest for a single formation will be 4 fighters. Tactically this permits you to coordinate firepower, sensors and mutually support one another.
Domestically it keeps you as a tight, single speaking unit to and from the airfield and tanker.
Leading a 4-Ship is challenging, being a stable platform during domestic phases is critical to not spit your wingmen out of formation. Tactically it involves understanding where 4 aircraft are in 3D space, what they need to achieve for the mission and by what time. This relies on constant assessment of fuel, weapons expenditure and locations of them all. The basic premise is the leader voices the tactic and focuses on the bigger picture, everyone else maintains a set position in order to execute that tactic and deconflicts from the leader. Tactical formations (normally much more widely spread) reduces workload and increases lethality for the decision maker.
Source: Do it every day.
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.
Didn’t really see this covered yet but one major reason we flew in formation was for safety.
One of us gets shot up? The other one can provide cover, shoot back, report the incident, and since helicopters are awesome, pick up our wingman.
Helicopters don’t fly close formation like jets because that spinny thing is bad when they touch. Close formation in a helicopter is 50 feet, but the reason for that is the same as others mentioned, in controlled airspace to operate as one.
In non-attack helicopters, really the only reason we practice formation is to be that support in case of a problem though all our combat formations are much further apart than 50 feet but we lose the support if we get too far apart.
Source, was combat rescue pilot
Because they have several airplanes that need to go to the same place at the same time. A formation organizes them so they can fly together without crashing into each other and causing the least possible turbulence on each other’s flight path.
The reason we fly in formations is mutual support. The wingman is there to provide visual lookout for threats, back me up on the radios, and bring more weapons to the fight so we can kill stuff. Vis, comm, and firepower. Different formation positions all offer different advantages and disadvantages in to those three things and what we go with is determined by the tactical situation
Probably not who you’re directing the question towards, but for helicopters, spacing and formation is determined by the types of threats we are expecting to encounter and the landing area we’re going to. It’s important for us to either maximize our fields of fire for our door guns by being closer or have more individual maneuverability from being further. It also depends heavily on the ground force and how they want us to land/the dimensions and environmental considerations of the landing area (trees, dust, wires, enemy on the LZ, etc.)
Source – blackhawk pilot
You know, at first I wondered why there were SO many fighter pilots in this subreddit.
But then –
“fighter pilots” + “explain like I’m five”
Let’s just say I didn’t need ALSA to call that picture…
Joke source: am GCI dude
Latest Answers