When does a flight join formation on a CASE 1 departure?

[CommandT]

Hi folks,

Could someone tell me, if a 2-ship flight departs the carrier simultaneously, with 1 aircraft departing off the left side (with a clearing turn to the left) and the other off the right side (with a clearing turn to the right), at what point will this flight join up? After 7nm?

Many Thanks!

[Harker]

To my knowledge, this can be done using what's called a Running Rendezvous, whereupon the lead will fly the typical 300 knots / 500 ft departure, and the wingmen will maintain 500 ft, but speed up slightly in order to form up with the lead.

Alternatively, the flight can join up after the 7 nmi part, using a CV Rendezvous, whereupon the lead will set up an orbit some distance from the boat and the flight will rejoin in that orbit. When everyone is joined up, they'll resume the flight plan.

[CommandT]

ah got you! Thank you!

[McKronenberg]

Just to expand upon @Harkers reply:
IRL if there is no LSP (launch Sequence Plan) the aircraft launch interval is determined by the aircraft parking spots on the carrier. All Aircraft that fly in a days cyclic schedule are parked on the flight deck. Aircraft working together on the same mission might be launched out of sequence. This will require them to rendezvous when airborne. This is accomplished at a
predetermined location, usually at the tanker, overhead the carrier or at an en-route location. The location is pre-briefed and often depends on what the mission will be.
More often, jets will launch less neatly, and your lead/wingman may launch several minutes before or after you. In this common case, you would meet at the prebriefed point. For training/local missions this is almost always at the overhead tanker or the overhead holding altitude. However, for combat missions going in country, you would likely meet en-route. This can be done without spending much gas. For example, The aircraft launching first can do a 90 degree turn away from course to allow the following aircraft to catch up using geometry. This would then use the same procedures as a normal CV Rendezvous, just without a constant turn by the lead aircraft. 

When using the catapults next to one another, aircraft are normally launched with a 30 second interval, but could be launched together by launching 1 aircraft from the bow (Cat 1 or 2) and one aircraft from the stern (Cat 3 or 4). This is called a “covey launch.” It is important to note that covey launches only occur during Case I departures. Case II and III do not allow covey launches to take place. If the covey launch occurs between 2 unrelated aircraft. Then they will just fly parallel at 300kts and 500 ft and at the end of the departure each go separate ways. If the covey launch occurs between two aircraft of the same formation, then one of two things will happen. Most frequently, the Airboss will say “cleared to join” right after the jets are safely airborne and they can fly together. This will mean that it is perfectly fine for wing to accelerate and join up with the lead right away before reaching 7DME, however the Case I departure altitude of 500ft AGL will have to be adhered to. Less often, the Boss will not say anything, and they will join up after 7 miles. For practicality in DCS we in Carrier Air Wing 17 most often use the Covey launch with Aircraft of the same flight. That means we join up immediately after launch within 7 DME. We do not simulate Airboss giving us the cleared to join, because we always know who we are launching with.  

So there you go, the IRL Procedure and how we do it in DCS. It is important to take not that DCS is much simpler than real naval aviation (starts with the parking spots on the flight deck, we can park as we want and move on the deck as we want for example) as such we simplify things in DCS. 

I hope this was helpful and sorry for the long reply!

Edited December 29, 2022 by McKronenberg