Based on the virtual structure method, the formation maintenance control of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during maneuvering flight is investigated. Firstly, the single UAV model and multi-UAV formation model are constructed under the formation coordinate system. Secondly, according to Lyapunov method, the formation maintenance controller and virtual center trajectory tracking controller are designed to eliminate formation error. Finally, the formation feedback is introduced to the controller with nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) method, so that the multi-UAV formation can resolve the issue of formation error expansion even during large amplitude maneuvering flight.