It's a simple risk vs reward. We haven't really done them in the CAF in nearly a decade. In my decade and a half of flying fighters, I have yet to see a situation (as a pilot/SOF/OPS SUP) that required a form landing. I've only seen one that required even a form low approach. Honestly, I think we'd have to have a failure of multiple systems to even get me to a point where I'd need to lead someone through the weather...and then I'd rather not be landing next to a guy with an EP and possibly bombs onboard. I know the old guys love to talk about the time the weather was socked in for 1000 miles and they lost their radio AND their Tacan...flew the triangle and then were saved by a form landing off a PAR. This could have been solved by a form low approach as well...Ya ya, I know, we're suddenly bingo minus 5...I have 100% we could make it happen. In truth, stuff just doesn't fail like it used to. I can count on one hand how many times I've had a radio failure or Tacan failure (Combined) and none were ever at the same time. Even at that, I could still shoot an ILS off a Nav point if needed AND I have 2 (soon to be 3) radios.
Others talk about how they can get guys airborne faster should you have to do a mass scramble. First off, when has that ever happened and/or how likely is that to ever happen? Second, I seriously question that it's faster with form TO. I think guys underestimate how long it takes to pull two jets onto the runway, runup and release brakes. I'd love to line up 40 fighters on one runway at Nellis and 40 on the other side. Once side does formation takeoffs, while the other does 10 or 15 second rolling...I'm fairly certain I know which side would have 40 fighters off the ground quicker. Mass recoveries in IMC, then I can maybe see your point. Again, how likely is that? Even in Vietnam, how many fighters took off form the same base and how many showed back up to the home drone at the same time?
In the end, I truly enjoyed doing form TOs/LNDs and was one of the last few in the squadron that did them after they took them off as a currency. I thought they were lots of fun, more of a challenge and just looked way cooler
. That said, I don't really thing it carries over to anything else I do tactically in the jet. Again, it's simple risk vs reward. We have what, 179 or 180 F-22s left in the inventory? For some reason if we ran two together (and had to write them off) practicing something we rarely, if ever needed, was it really worth it to keep practicing? Case and point, my squadron recently had a main gear collapse on landing and he made it to the middle of the left half of the runway before he got in under control and actually made it back to the centerline. Almost exactly a year prior, it happened to another Viper on the very same runway and that dude departed the runway. It's a known issue with the landing gear and the "check is in the mail" (for a long time) on a fix, but it's there, and I will be fore quite a few more years. How differently that would have gone if he were doing a form landing is highly dependent upon luck. Form low approach...sure we practice it all the time.