It's interesting that this incident was in August 1990. And that a few years later in September 1993 according to one RAF Harrier pilot, https://www.cmlx.co.u

It's interesting that this incident was in August 1990. And that a few years later in September 1993 according to one RAF Harrier pilot, https://www.cmlx.co.uk/hawkerassociation/hanewsletters/hanewsletter044nvu/flyingharriersinraf.html https://www.cmlx.co.uk/hawkerassociation/hanewsletters/hanew... "would often spend the week at either RAF Leuchars or RAF Lossiemouth" which are fairly close to Calvine. And that "Each day we would send a team out into the Scottish Highlands to set up the targets. These would be full size inflatable Soviet tank" While the picture in the linked article doesn't look like any tank I'm aware of (although, maybe the Stridsvagn ...), my understanding is that large inflatables or balloons that have broken free in a mountainous environment could well end up moving in what might be quite unexpected ways to most people. (I'd also have no problem imagining if it was the RAF's toy, they might have a) got sign-off fairly quickly for some new, more realistic targets afterwards and b) been told to stop upsetting the tourists more than the midges in August).