More on formations

[Sol75]

More on Formation Combat

Formation flying and combat requires discipline, restraint, and a higher level of proficiency than simply going at it alone. However, once you have mastered the art, you will never want to fly alone again. In addition to the practical, is the added new level to the online combat arena. The pre-flight routine of lining up together on the runway, assigning wingmen, and going through a mission briefing, the start engines command, and a roll down the runway together, bobbing and waving in time with each other, cannot be replicated by flying alone.
The tactics of formation versus single combat is night and day. Whereas the survivability of a single pilot depends on his machine, and him, the survivability of a formation depends on the ability of ALL of it’s members to work as a team. For this to happen, a squadron must train and act in a way in which an ordinary lonewold generally finds too restrictive, it must be disciplined, act promptly, and as a body with a single mind.
Formations are emplyed to bring the maximum firepower to bear on the enemy, within the shortest amount of time. Formations have been used since 1917, and it has been unthinkable in the real world to enter combat with anything less than an element.
Units of a squadron include:
1. Element – 2 aircraft
2. Flight – 2 Elements
3. Squadron – 2-4 flights
4. Group – 2-4 Squadrons

[Sol75]

The most convenient formation for online combat is the “finger four” as I have referenced previously, however the most likely to be encountered is the simple element. When flying as a single element you should strive for a line abreast formation, where one plane is right beside the other.
The element is the smallest unit you want to use in air combat, and its doctrine is the same as any larger unit. You should emphasize flying in at least an element every time you sortie, even if that takes an extra few minutes for you to launch.
When cruising to and from the combat zone, separation can be at a minimum, however once you enter the battle area, separation should increase to 200-350 yards between aircraft. A unit so disposed covers a lot more sky, and any aircraft is virtually invulnerable to surprise attack. Rather than anxiously rolling and yawing to keep the individual 6 clear, the formation flies level while checking over the wing to clear your wingman’s 6 o’clock position. This nearly eliminates the blind spots below and behind even the worst of views.
Having a doctrine for fighting may sound stupid to the casual observer, but if you observe most of the ad-hoc formations, and how poorly they perform, you may realize having a doctrine may not be a bad idea at all. So what doctrines are there? There are, Welded Wing, Double Attack, and Loose Deuce. But a better more descriptive way might be to call them, Follow Closely, Stand Off, and Separate and Gain Advantage. They each have their own advantages and disadvantages.

[Sol75]

1. Welded Wing
Early in the 2nd world war, when combat experience was lacking, wingmen flew close to the wingleader and tried to follow their every move as best they could. The practice was to close up with your wingtip a few feet from your leaders, and to stay there, no matter what. This is much as you see the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels do during their formation demonstrations. This really has no true application in combat, other than for attacking a dense bomber formation to mass firepower.
2. Double Attack
The Double attack doctrine is used to bring each ship to bear sequentially, or in the case of a flight or larger formation, each element is brought to bear sequentially. Thus one aircraft, or flight, would do the attacking, while the other stood off to the side, retaining their E, ready to pounce or bail out the commited aircraft as needed. Within an element, on a flight sized unit or larger, the individual aircraft still fly as a welded wing.
3. Loose Deuce
The top of tactical evolution is the Loose Deuce doctrine. The fundamental idea here is that every part of the formation is to maneuver in a way that is best at any one time. The Key is separation! LD tactice used the right way is gorgeous to behold, and is in a way, a game of 4 dimensional chess. In LD, when entering combat, the idea of leader and wingman goes away, instead you become either free or engaged. These roles can and will switch repeatedly throughout the fight depending on the advantages each holds, or the angles involved. All tactics I will discuss further will begin with the Loose Deuce formation.

I will continue this thread as I post more informaiton. Coming Up: Formation Tactics