Do B52's ever fly in formation operationally?

Question

Do B52's ever fly in formation operationally? Have they in the past? I don't mean for a flypast or with a fighter escort - just a bomber formation. Did formation flying for heavy bombers end with the beginning of the cold war?

Answer 1

It depends on the target and it's defenses. Today's battlefield is more of a precision "1 target 1 bomb" type, but if the opportunity presents itself for mass carpet bombing with no/low chance of SAM's then yes. You will see the 52 more as a bomb farm loitering  a grid waiting a target to be designated

Answer 2

Typically BUFFs would fly in "cells" of three aircraft during Vietnam.  This maximized their EW coverage.  For the nuclear penetration mission-BUFFs flew single ship.  For a carpet dumb-bomb laydown-they do occasionally fly three ship cells.   JDAM/CAS missions they are again single ship.