Live-fire anti-aircraft exercises have been traditionally carried out using a bag-shaped towed target made of fabric. The target bag is towed by a plane or target drone. The target drone itself may also serve as a target.

The venerable and well tested Radioplane BTT or MQM-33/36 target drone was acquired by the Finnish Defence Forces in the early 1980s. The Drone has been produced in the USA since the late 1940s. Many newer variants were created in the 1950s and 1960s, when Northrop acquired the original manufacturer, Radioplane Inc in 1952. The drones were used in many countries, including the UK and Finland until the early 2000s.

The MALE 82 radio-controlled target drone system was used at the Lohtaja air defence camp mainly for towing aerial targets. In some missile exercises, the drone itself was the target. This was usually the case when the operating hours of the drone were already exceeded and spares had run out.