Electric seaglider developer Regent has launched a dedicated military division to accelerate the development of ekranoplans for the U.S. Marine Corps and other defense clients.
The new unit, called Regent Defense, was unveiled at the recently held Reindustrialize Summit in Detroit, alongside a new line of ekranoplans, tailored for military use.
BREAKING NEWS: We’re proud to announce REGENT Defense at @reindsummit 2025. We’ve long been a dual-use company, but now, in complement to our global commercial backlog, we’re amping up our work for the Department of Defense with a dedicated business unit and expansion of our… pic.twitter.com/b6rII5szDu
— REGENT (@regentcraft) July 16, 2025
The highlight of Regent’s new defense lineup is a militarized version of its 12-seat, all-electric Viceroy Seaglider. It carries up to 3,500 lbs, reaches 160 knots (180 mph), and covers 160 nautical miles—extendable to 1,400 nm (1,600 miles) in hybrid mode.
Also introduced was the Autonomous Viceroy, an unmanned variant built for logistics, medical evacuation (medevac), intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and for launching other uncrewed systems in high-risk environments.
Completing the lineup is the Squire Seaglider, a quarter-scale, drone-class craft with a 50-pound payload capacity. It can reach speeds of up to 70 knots (80 mph) and cover 100 nautical miles (115 miles), making it ideal for scouting, ISR, and small-scale tactical support.
Regent is currently testing its first full-scale seaglider prototype under a $14.8 million contract with the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. The ongoing demonstrations aim to validate the seaglider’s utility for contested logistics, medical evacuation, and amphibious support missions in littoral environments.
Regent aims to achieve its first official flight by the end of the summer, according to Tom Huntley, the company’s head of defense business.
The time to build is now. 🇺🇲Coming online in 2026, our 255,000 sqft @regentcraft Seaglider Manufacturing Facility in Rhode Island will deliver Seaglider vessels to our commercial and defense customers. We’re proud to build in the Ocean State, creating jobs, advancing innovation,… pic.twitter.com/mUnW6KqNAK
— REGENT (@regentcraft) July 29, 2025
“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.
Regent’s recent move comes amid renewed interest in ekranoplans, also known as wing-in-ground-effect craft, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, where traditional resupply methods face growing challenges.
The development follows China’s recent unveiling of its own ekranoplan informally dubbed the “Bohai Sea Monster.”
