Ideal Aerosmith unveils Troublemaker attack drone for defence market

US manufacturer Ideal Aerosmith announced the Troublemaker uncrewed aircraft system on 8 October, describing it as an attritable, long-range design. The company says the aircraft will offer more than ten hours of flight time and can be used for one-way attack, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, long-range surveillance, and wingman or decoy missions.

Troublemaker is a Group 3 UAS, a category the US Department of Defense defines as aircraft weighing between 25 and 599kg, operating at altitudes up to 18,000ft and at speeds up to 250kt. The company says such models sit between smaller tactical systems and larger strategic ones, offering longer endurance, higher payload capacity and greater range, and that Group 3 is a less crowded market than Groups 1 and 2. It cites Shield AI's V-Bat and Iran's Shahed-136 as other examples in the class.

The fixed-wing aircraft can be launched by catapult or truck and recovered using a skid landing system, which the company says removes the need for specialised airfields.

The announcement marks Ideal Aerosmith's first entry into the defence market, moving beyond its core lines of motion simulation and test equipment. David Markert, general manager of Ideal Aerosmith Government Systems, said the aircraft was designed to deliver capability at a cost and scale that lets operators employ mass when a mission requires it. The company says the aim is to provide long-range capabilities at a price and scale suited to modern military operations.