REGENT Craft, the manufacturer of all-electric seagliders for sustainable maritime mobility, announced today the opening of a new office in Washington D.C. to work closely with stakeholders across the U.S. government. The office will support the seaglider certification journey and advance the company’s dual-use mission for commercial transportation and maritime defense solutions.

“As REGENT grows to fulfill our more than $9 billion global order book, expanding to D.C. was the natural next step,” said Billy Thalheimer, Co-founder and CEO, REGENT. “We look forward to working with key regulatory and defense stakeholders to ensure seagliders deliver on safety, meet current and future national security needs, and contribute to live-saving missions.”

Seaglider Certification Journey

Steve Dickson, former Air Force pilot and Delta Air Lines executive who served as the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from August 2019 to March 2022, joins the REGENT Advisory Board of senior leaders who bring decades of experience across the commercial, defense, and regulatory landscape.

REGENT is currently undertaking a robust maritime certification process that builds on established guidelines and follows existing pathways in the U.S. and in markets around the world to ensure the safety of passengers. Under U.S. law, wing-in-ground craft like seagliders that always stay within one wingspan above the surface of the water are defined as maritime passenger vessels and regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard will oversee the seaglider certification journey in the U.S., with technical input from the FAA.

“The recent FAA reauthorization bill passed by Congress created the framework for a collaborative seaglider maritime certification process led by the U.S. Coast Guard and supported by the FAA,” Dickson said. “I look forward to working with REGENT to advance the company’s robust external certification process and ensure the highest passenger and vessel safety.”

Seagliders for Defense Logistics

Seagliders meet an unserved need for efficient transportation in maritime environments by offering capabilities for defense logistics resupply, cargo transport, and search and rescue. The D.C. office will accelerate REGENT’s work to demonstrate seaglider technology for defense logistics operations across the Department of Defense, including REGENT’s ongoing partnership with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab.

“Seagliders are the perfect platform to equip the warfighter in current and future maritime environments,” said Tom Huntley, VP of Government Relations and Defense, REGENT. “From navigating contested logistics to saving lives, seagliders can provide increased efficiencies for maritime defense operations and help deter future conflicts.”

Advantages for maritime defense operations include: ‍

‍- High speed: Seagliders can travel for up to 180 miles (300km) at 180 mph (160 kts/300kph).‍

- High resilience: Seagliders take off and land on their hull, which enables operations in austere environments without relying on vulnerable runway infrastructure. They are also rechargeable from shore or ship, which enables amore resilient and robust energy supply chain. ‍

- Low signature: Seagliders always stay within one wingspan of the surface of the water, which means that they operate below radar and above sonar. They also have low heat and infrared emissions from the seaglider's electric propulsion system, providing low-signature operations. ‍

- Low cost: Seagliders’ distributed, all-electric propulsion system has fewer moving parts, which means less maintenance and increased reliability. Seaglider operators are specially trained maritime crews, which drastically reduces the time and cost of operator training.

REGENT’S Growth

The D.C. office is REGENT’s second location, in addition to the company’s headquarters in Rhode Island. The new office will enable stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the multi-mission capability of the seaglider and will feature a high-fidelity, full-scale seaglider simulated environment where users can experience what it’s like to operate a seaglider.

Since REGENT was founded in 2020, global demand for seagliders has skyrocketed, resulting in more than $9 billion in global orders across six continents. The company has grown to more than 90 employees from around the world, with plans to add hundreds of jobs in the next few years.