OK. Makes that makes sense: He’s pulling a bright “red” target on a wire behind the wing-mounted retrieval winch, so the following planes can take pot shots at the drogue for a aerial dog-fighting competition between fighters.
To be clear, the drogue which he is flying in front of is the target.
So ... who is the braver pilot?
The guy pulling the trigger? Or the guy pulling the drogue?
Well shooting down the tow plane at a William Tell competition is not exactly the Right Stuff....