REGENT Opens D.C. Office, Expands Seaglider Advisory Board
July 25 2024 - 9:31AM
media@regentcraft.com
- REGENT opens an office in Washington, D.C. to work closely with
stakeholders across the U.S. government.
- The D.C. office will support seaglider maritime certification
and advance the company’s dual-use mission of sustainable coastal
transportation and maritime defense operations.
- Steve Dickson, former airline executive and administrator of
the FederalAviation Administration, joins the REGENT Advisory
Board.
- Learn more about REGENT’s path to
certification here and REGENT’s defense
mission here.
North Kingstown, RI, July 25, 2024
– 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.
About REGENT
REGENT is pioneering the future of sustainable maritime mobility
through the development and manufacturing of all-electric
seagliders. Seagliders are a new category of vehicle that combines
the speed of an aircraft with the convenience of a vessel to
deliver affordable and efficient transportation solutions between
coastal destinations.
REGENT’s flagship seaglider, Viceroy, is a 12-passenger vehicle
that travels at 180mph to service routes up to 180 miles on a
single charge. REGENT has already secured more than600 seaglider
orders valued at more than $9 billion from leading airline and
ferry operators around the world and has raised more than $90
million from investors including 8090 Industries, Founders Fund,
Japan Airlines, andLockheed Martin
Ventures.
Notes for editors
- Learn about seagliders here
- Explore REGENT’s website
- Discover REGENT’s media kit
- Read REGENT’s FAQs
- Follow REGENT on LinkedIn
- Follow REGENT on Instagram
- REGENT D.C. office
- Steve Dickson
Kirsten Salyer
REGENT
401-328-0532
kirsten.salyer@regentcraft.com