Lockheed Martin Invests in Electric Sea-glider Maker, REGENT

REGENT Craft Inc. has received a strategic investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures to expedite the development of Sea-gliders for defense missions.

REGENT Seagliders are a new category of maritime vehicle that combine the high speed of an airplane with the low operating cost of a boat. These all-electric, zero-emission vessels operate exclusively over water and leverage existing dock infrastructure to carry people and goods up to 180 miles, at 180 miles per hour between coastal destinations.

Seagliders fulfill a recognized need within the U.S. Department of Defense for high-speed, low-cost, low-signature, runway independent mobility in the littorals. With capabilities for carrying passenger, cargo, or hybrid payloads, REGENT Seagliders are suited for a variety of civilian and defense applications in maritime environments including logistics resupply, cargo transport, and search and rescue.

The Rhode Island-based company has sold over 400 Seagliders to date, to global aviation and ferry customers including Mokulele Airlines, Southern Airways Express, FRS (Germany), and Ocean Flyer (New Zealand).

REGENT’s flagship product, Viceroy, which will carry either 12 passengers or 3500 pounds of cargo, strongly aligns with a recognized need within the U.S. Department of Defense for high-speed, low-cost, low-signature, runway independent mobility in the littorals. REGENT expects for Viceroy to enter service by mid-decade.

The seaglider concept of an airplane that can glide over the sea was first conceived during the Soviet Era in the form the now defunct Ekarnoplan