REGENT scores wicked big boost, starts full-scale seaglider buildout

In Rhode Island, seaglider manufacturer REGENT Craft received $4 million in incentives from the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation to support its expansion at North Kingstown’s Quonset Business Park. This expansion will enable the construction of a 255,000-square-foot facility, creating 300 jobs over the next decade as REGENT continues to push the boundaries of regional costal travel.

In a key development REGENT announced the start of hardware and systems integration for its full-scale Viceroy seaglider prototype. This milestone follows the success of its quarter-scale prototype, which completed hundreds of on-water tests and the world’s first seaglider flight.

REGENT is preparing to conduct sea trials of the full-scale prototype with humans on board later this year and has booked over 600 orders from global operators, including Japan Airlines and Lockheed Martin, valued at more than $9 billion.

The U.S. Coast Guard has approved testing of REGENT’s full-scale seaglider prototype in Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound, following a thorough safety assessment. The trials will assess the seaglider’s three operational modes: floating on its hull in harbors and speed-restricted areas, foiling on hydrofoils in marked channels, and flying just above the water’s surface in ground effect over open water.

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