Formation flight technology

IN THIS article the evolution of formation flight technology is traced including discussion of the primary characteristics of three specific station keeping system concepts developed by Lockheed‐Georgia. One of the most significant aspects of the overall formation flight problem is that of stability of the formation in a dynamic environment. Detailed simulation studies of the dynamic station keeping geometry have been performed, and the results are presented in the form of fundamental formation flight stability criteria. The extension of present‐day technology to development of formation flight systems for short range aircraft such as helicopters and V/STOL transports is considered briefly.