vehicle voltron question

The 15 smaller ships in vehicle voltron could combine into a larger ship for their respective team, sea, land, or air. Within the context of the show's logic, what's the strategic value of doing that? You turn 5 targets into one larger target that's easier to hit and moves slower. They didn't seem like those formations were that much more powerful, so thinking back on it, aside from the obvious visual aspect of presenting it, why would a group of ships combine to make a semi larger ship that does everything the combining ships can already do?