RMD Systems
RMD Systems is a privately-held US engineering firm that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial, ground, and maritime systems and aerospace mechanisms for defense, aerospace, and commercial customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSan Luis Obispo, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What RMD Systems does
RMD Systems is a privately-held, founder-owned US engineering firm that designs, manufactures, and tests unmanned systems, aerospace mechanisms, and robotics for defense, aerospace, and commercial customers. The company, with origins around 2013 and formalized by 2015, is headquartered in Hudson Oaks, Texas and reports 1-10 employees. Its work is anchored by a common autopilot, compute, and command-and-control (C2) backbone that supports aerial, ground, and maritime unmanned platforms, with disclosed cumulative deliveries of 50+ unmanned systems and 35+ aerospace mechanisms since 2018.
The technology platform spans hybrid-electric and fully electric powertrains supporting ground vehicles from 10 lbs to over 15,000 lbs with payloads up to 2,500 lbs, aerial systems with flight times exceeding 2 hours and payloads of 2-500 lbs, and aquatic platforms with GPS waypoint navigation, waterproof laser rangefinder obstacle detection, and position-holding loiter capability. The firm holds two granted US patents (10,538,348 for a triggered satellite deployment mechanism and 10,377,510 for an enhanced launch vehicle fairing mechanism) and has filed a patent application for the RPIR Ring, a scalable robotic payload interface and release mechanism targeting orbital, terrestrial, maritime, and defense applications. All products are designed and built in the US and marketed as NDAA-compliant.
RMD operates a hybrid revenue model combining custom engineering services delivered via direct engagement for government defense and aerospace clients, with productized hardware sales of three branded lines: Aerial Systems, Aquatic Systems, and the RPIR Ring. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; sales run through a direct field-sales motion, the company website, and product CTAs linking to affiliated e-commerce storefronts. The disclosed customer set is small and includes AAL, Edwards, Risk As Edwards, Regenerative Ag Solutions, Surgeon Drone, and Upla Quatics across defense, aerospace, agriculture, healthcare, and environmental applications. No institutional funding, parent company, or management-team disclosures are present in the available record.
RMD Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RMD Systems
- Legal name
- RMD Systems
- Website
- https://rmd-systems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- RMD Systems is a privately-held US engineering firm that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial, ground, and maritime systems and aerospace mechanisms for defense, aerospace, and commercial customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RMD Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Defense & Aerospace Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms (IMABAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH), Maritime Unmanned Systems (USV/UUV) & Control Stations (IMABAKAJ), UAS Power Systems & Propulsion (Motors, ESCs, Batteries, Fuel Cells) (IMABAIAK)
Keywords
Where RMD Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Luis Obispo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
RMD Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Engineering Services: RMD Systems provides design, build, and test engineering services for defense systems, aerospace mechanisms, and robotics. Services span from early-stage concepts and prototyping to validation and field deployment. Revenue comes from government defense contracts and commercial engineering partnerships.
- Proprietary Product Sales: Sale of productized unmanned systems including aerial drones, aquatic systems, and the RPIR Ring mechanism. Products are sold directly through company website with 'Buy Drone' and 'Buy Boat' CTAs linking to affiliated websites.
- Aerospace Mechanisms and Components: Sale of flight-proven aerospace mechanisms including solar array hinges, satellite deployment systems, launch vehicle hardware, and carbon fiber structures. Delivered 35+ aerospace mechanisms since 2018.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quote-based pricing for engineering services and systems |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels1 record
RMD Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RMD Systems designs, builds, and tests unmanned systems (aerial drones, ground vehicles, aquatic platforms), aerospace mechanisms (satellite deployment systems, payload fairings, solar array hinges), and custom-engineered robotics for defense, aerospace, and commercial clients. The company delivers design-to-deployment engineering services alongside productized hardware built on a common autopilot, compute, and command-and-control architecture.
Product overview
RMD Systems is a multidisciplinary engineering firm that develops proprietary unmanned systems products alongside service offerings in Defense & Robotics, Aerospace, and Commercial sectors. The product portfolio centers on three core proprietary product lines: (1) the RPIR Ring (Robotic Payload Interface & Release Ring), a patent-pending modular payload integration and release mechanism for aerospace and defense applications; (2) Aerial Systems, a family of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) ranging from 10 lbs to 1,000+ lbs built on a common autopilot architecture with advanced autonomy; and (3) Aquatic Systems, autonomous watercraft for maritime operations featuring precision spray systems and GPS-guided navigation. All products share a common engineering foundation—precision, reliability, and U.S.-based manufacturing—and are backed by services including systems architecture, custom software development, power systems engineering, and validation testing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RIPR Ring: Robotic Payload Interface & Release Ring - An advanced, patented mechanism designed for reliable payload integration and release. Originally developed for space applications but adaptable across orbital, terrestrial, maritime, and defense applications.
- Aerial Systems
- Aquatic Systems
Products and services
- Aerial Systems (Unmanned Aerial System) A family of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) built on a common autopilot architecture with advanced autonomy features including waypoint navigation, object avoidance, payload stabilization, swarming behavior, and multi-vehicle coordination. Platforms range from 10 lbs to 1,000+ lbs with payloads of 2-500 lbs and flight times exceeding 2 hours, using electric and hybrid-electric powertrains. Designed for defense ISR missions, surveillance, agriculture, and construction applications.
- Aquatic Systems (Unmanned Aquatic System) Autonomous watercraft platforms for maritime environments featuring GPS waypoint missions, precision spray systems with adjustable pump speed, dual trolling motors on adjustable jackplate, HD bow-mounted camera, waterproof laser rangefinder for obstacle detection, and 'Loiter' capability to hold position against wind and current. Powered by 12V 100Ah lithium-iron phosphate battery with approximately 4 hours runtime. Designed for environmental monitoring, aquatic weed control, defense surveillance, and research applications.
- RPIR Ring (Robotic Payload Interface & Release Ring) A patent-pending mechanical payload integration and release mechanism providing precision-engineered locking and actuation for reliable payload integration across orbital, terrestrial, maritime, and defense applications. Features a mechanically robust, scalable design with repeatable performance compatible with both autonomous and manually controlled systems.
- Aerospace Mechanisms and Components Flight-proven aerospace mechanisms and support hardware including solar array hinges, satellite deployment systems (US Patent 10,538,348), payload fairing systems (US Patent 10,377,510), launch vehicle hardware, ground fueling systems, and carbon fiber structures optimized for low mass, high strength, and thermal resilience. RMD has delivered 35+ aerospace mechanisms since 2018.
- Custom Engineering & Design Services End-to-end design, build, and test engineering services covering systems architecture, custom software development, power systems engineering, CAD modeling, FEA/FMEA analysis, and validation testing for defense, aerospace, and commercial applications. Delivered through direct client engagement and proposal processes.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50+ unmanned systems delivered since 2018
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use RMD Systems
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
RMD Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability9 records
Feature8 records
RMD Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RMD Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Shield AI: Well-capitalized defense tech company building autonomous UAS (V-BAT) and AI-pilot software for DoD. Competes with RMD on defense autonomy software and tactical UAS, but with much larger funding base.
- Anduril Industries: Defense technology company building autonomous UAS (Roadrunner, Ghost), maritime surface vessels (Dive-LD), and Lattice software platform. Overlaps with RMD on cross-domain unmanned systems (aerial, maritime) and common C2 architecture.
Broad incumbents
- AeroVironment: Established US public defense UAS prime (Switchblade, Puma, Raven) dominating the small tactical UAS category. Comparable aerial drone products, NDAA-compliant posture, and DoD customer overlap, but at vastly larger scale.
- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Public defense prime producing tactical UAS (XQ-58 Valkyrie, MQM-178 Firejet) and unmanned ground systems. Overlaps with RMD on defense unmanned systems and engineering services, but at prime-contractor scale.
- Moog Inc. Large aerospace and defense supplier of motion-control mechanisms, actuation, and deployment systems for spacecraft and aircraft. Comparable in the aerospace-mechanisms category but orders of magnitude larger and broader.
Direct peers
- Honeybee Robotics: Space and defense mechanism supplier (now part of Blue Origin) specializing in deployable booms, drills, and payload interfaces for spacecraft and defense applications. Directly comparable to RMD's satellite deployment mechanisms and RPIR Ring payload interfaces.
- Maritime Robotics: Norway-based supplier of autonomous USV platforms for survey, environmental monitoring, and defense applications. Comparable product category to RMD's Aquatic Systems, though serving a primarily European customer base.
- Swift Engineering: Small US-based aerospace and defense engineering firm designing custom unmanned aerial systems and rapid prototyping platforms for government customers. Highly comparable to RMD in scope (custom UAS, defense focus, agile engineering team) and customer profile.
- Latitude Engineering: Tucson-based small UAS designer and manufacturer focused on tactical and small electric UAS for defense and security applications. Comparable niche footprint, similar proprietary platform approach, and similar small-team defense contracting model.
Regional players
- Applied Research Associates: US defense R&D firm delivering custom engineering, robotics, and unmanned systems to government customers. Comparable engineering-services-plus-products model and similar defense/civil customer mix, though ARA is substantially larger.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RMD Systems social profiles
Digital presenceRMD Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RMD Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
RMD Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RMD Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RMD Systems
What does RMD Systems do?
RMD Systems designs, builds, and tests unmanned systems (aerial drones, ground vehicles, aquatic platforms), aerospace mechanisms (satellite deployment systems, payload fairings, solar array hinges), and custom-engineered robotics for defense, aerospace, and commercial clients. The company delivers design-to-deployment engineering services alongside productized hardware built on a common autopilot, compute, and command-and-control architecture.
Is RMD Systems a public or private company?
RMD Systems is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was RMD Systems founded?
RMD Systems was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is RMD Systems based?
RMD Systems is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, United States, in the North America region.
How does RMD Systems make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Engineering Services are the primary driver. The others are proprietary Product Sales and aerospace Mechanisms and Components.
Who are RMD Systems's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Shield AI and Anduril Industries. Broad incumbents are AeroVironment, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and Moog Inc.. Direct peers are Honeybee Robotics, Maritime Robotics, Swift Engineering and Latitude Engineering. Applied Research Associates is listed as a regional player.
Does RMD Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for RMD Systems.
What industry is RMD Systems in?
RMD Systems's product category is Defense & Aerospace Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAC, VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms, with a secondary code of IMABAIAH, Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.