‘REGENT Defense’ American-Made Seaglider Vessels Address Urgent National Security Need

July 16, 2025 at 12:40 PM EDT

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

REGENT creates REGENT Defense to meet rising maritime national security needs.
New product line of Seaglider vessels provides high-speed, long-range, low-signature solution to enable key missions in the maritime domain.
REGENT will manufacture the Seaglider craft at its headquarters in Rhode Island, helping revitalize the American transportation and shipbuilding industry.
Learn more about REGENT Defense here.

DETROIT, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- REGENT Craft, the developer and manufacturer of Seaglider vessels and a trusted partner of the U.S. Marine Corps, announced the creation of “REGENT Defense” and unveiled a new product line of the innovative maritime craft designed for military applications at the Reindustrialize summit in Detroit today. Complementing REGENT’s $10 billion commercial backlog, the company will manufacture REGENT Defense Seaglider vessels at its headquarters in Rhode Island to support the U.S. and its allies in countering the growing maritime national threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.

REGENT’s proprietary hydrofoiling wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) Seaglider design offers an unmatched combination of high-speed, long-range, and low-signature capabilities — all at significantly reduced costs compared to legacy transportations solutions. These advantages directly address the “tyranny of distance” often seen in littoral operations, where resupply and transport across vast ocean stretches has historically been difficult.

“REGENT is proud to be a dual-use company, and we’re committed to advancing our REGENT Defense work to equip the American warfighter with an urgently needed mobility solution that gives the U.S. and our allies a strategic edge,” said Billy Thalheimer, Co-Founder and CEO of REGENT. “At the same time, we’re helping to revitalize American manufacturing by building these vessels here at home, creating high-tech jobs and restoring American competitiveness on the global stage.”

Defense Missions
As a Type A WIG craft, Seaglider vessels operate exclusively over water within a wingspan of the water’s surface, benefitting from the aerodynamic efficiencies of ground effect and remaining above sonar and below radar. This highly efficient, agile, and low-signature design allows Seaglider craft to service a wide range of maritime defense missions, including:

Troop and supply logistics
Medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and search and rescue
Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)
Launched effects, including deployment of uncrewed systems from the Seaglider vessel

“We’re building platforms engineered for maritime defense operations in contested and logistically complex maritime environments,” said Tom Huntley, General Manager of REGENT Defense. “Their unique combination of speed, range, and low signature enables mission success while providing a low-cost, scalable solution to deter conflict and enhance operational readiness.”

New Seaglider Solutions
In addition to a defense version of REGENT’s commercial all-electric, crewed Viceroy model, REGENT Defense is creating a product line of Seaglider vessels that include a fully autonomous Viceroy vessel as well as hybrid versions, and a quarter-scale autonomous model called “Squire,” the company announced today.

The Viceroy Seaglider vessel has a payload of 3,500 lbs and can travel at speeds up to 160 knots (180 mph) for routes up to 160 nautical miles (180 miles) in the all-electric model and up to 1,400 nautical miles (1,600 miles) in the hybrid model.

The autonomous hybrid Squire Seaglider vessel has a payload of 50 lbs and can travel at speeds of up to 70 knots (80 mph) for routes more than 100 nautical miles (115 miles).

Defense Partnerships
REGENT is a trusted partner of the U.S. Marine Corps, which continues to advance its strategic shift toward distributed maritime operations. In March, REGENT announced a $10 million expanded collaboration with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab through the second phase of a contract agreement to validate Seaglider use cases across logistics, ISR, MEDEVAC, launched effects, and other mission-critical areas.

In addition to its work with the Marine Corps, REGENT has formalized development relationships with U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, supporting innovation in agile, next-generation maritime mobility.

About REGENT Craft
REGENT is pioneering the future of maritime mobility through the development and manufacturing of SeagliderTM vessels, high-speed hydrofoiling wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft that operate over the water within a wingspan of the surface, combining the speed of an aircraft with the convenience of a boat. A dual use company based in Rhode Island, U.S., REGENT has secured global commercial orders valued at more than $10 billion from leading airline and ferry operators around the world, as well as $15 million in contracts with the U.S. Marine Corps. REGENT has raised more than $100 million from investors including 8090 Industries, Founders Fund, Japan Airlines, and Lockheed Martin.

MEDIA CONTACT
regent@boldspace.com