U.S. Sailors, assigned to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), and U.S. Coast Guard tactical team members conduct small boat operations while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Jan. 24, 2026. (U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has awarded defense manufacturing company Mach Industries a contract award for the Runway Independent Maritime Expeditionary Strike (RIMES) program, in pursuit of a drone to execute long-range strikes with minimal infrastructure.
The Navy is looking for an unmanned aerial system (UAS) that can operate from ships without a large flight deck — like Arleigh Burke-class destroyers — to conduct long-range strikes amid heightened threats from anti-ship weapons, according to the RIMES program solicitation published in February.
Mach Industries will work with propulsion provider Whisper Aero to spearhead development and program execution to design and deliver a next-generation aircraft called Atlas for the RIMES program, the company said today.
“Atlas can use unimproved rotary-wing landing zones, while maintaining the control simplicity of a fixed-wing aircraft and a thrust-to-weight ratio that is less than half of what is required for vertical flight,” Mach Industries said in a news release today. “This, along with highly efficient propulsors, result in significantly increased range, as well as radical reductions in acoustic signature.”
