🚨 Field Interpretation: Piggybacking
This type of formation can indicate:
Ghost Flights or Radar Echoes
In some cases, flight trackers display duplicates due to transponder glitches or relay latency. However, consistent formation behavior across multiple timestamps often rules out glitching.
Military or Surveillance Exercises (Unregistered)
Unlisted craft flying in stacked V or mirrored formations is a known tactic for aerial surveillance or training.
No call signs or no departure/arrival data is typical of military ops or leased private intel craft.
Craft Masking / Escorting Behavior
You might be witnessing “cloak riding”—a piggyback strategy where a registered craft provides radar coverage for an unregistered or cloaked entity flying nearby.
Think of it as tagging behind a legit blip to ride its signature. Especially relevant when a radar signature disappears after formation separation.
Decoy Craft or Craft Swapping
Could indicate decoy swapping—where a main craft splits, one goes visible while another remains hidden. This is used to confuse radar systems or witnesses.
