Scatter formation

The scatter formation was a tactical formation that was first devised by the Republic Marines' Aerospace Wings for use in surprise ground attacks or infiltration missions against s.

History
First developed by the Republic Marines in the wake of the, the scatter formation saw its first true test during the Raid on the Roche Asteroids. With the destruction of the shipyard and repair facilities at Cobalt J-27, along with a, the tactic was deemed to be a success.

The tactic
The formation involved the splitting of a squadron into six wingpairs, as opposed to the three four-fighter flights that were the norm, while well outside of scanning range. Each pair of fighters would then approach a target by terrain-following flying, shifting course almost at random, in order to avoid sensor scans. Upon spotting the target, the squadron would then home in on the closest element, seeming to have coalesced out of nowhere to pounce on the enemy. In the case of an asteroid belt, each wingpair would simply "bounce" from one asteroid to another, converging once the target had been raised.

Scatter formation had several key disadvantages, however. Because the object was to hide one's true course and numbers from the enemy to be attacked, each wingpair was dangerously isolated from their comrades. In order to maintain unit cohesion, fighters that were expected to utilize the formation had their comm systems modified to periodically "squawk" the other ships within the formation with high-frequency pulses that were normally unnoticeable. Thus, blanket comm jamming precluded use of the formation, as it prevented use of these signals. In addition, there was the possibility that patrols of enemy starfighters could happen upon a wingpair, or that the attack rendezvous could fall under concentrated attack. In either case, this left the squadron highly vulnerable. Finally, the formation was useless in a stand-up fight, as starfighter squadrons operated best when all craft were within sensor or visual range.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Saber Battalion