REGENT marks opening of world's first Seaglider Manufacturing Facility with ribbon-cutting ceremony and flight demonstration

• REGENT marks a major step toward full-scale Seaglider deliveries around the world through the opening of its manufacturing facility, less than a month after the first ground effect flight of its Viceroy Seaglider prototype.
• The opening event drew more than 600 attendees and featured live flight demonstrations of the Viceroy prototype and Squire Seaglider drone — the first time the public has seen a live flight demonstration of the Viceroy craft.
• REGENT’s recent $240 million Series B funding round will help to scale manufacturing of its Viceroy and Squire Seaglider product lines.
• Learn more about Seaglider vessels and their production by visiting REGENT’s website.

North Kingstown, R.I., September 30,2026 — REGENT Craft, the developer and manufacturer of Seaglider™ vessels, opened the world’s first Seaglider Manufacturing Facility today at an event attended by over 600 high-profile leaders across government, defense, and business and featuring live flight demos of theViceroy prototype and Squire Seaglider drone.

This event marks the first time the public has seen the Viceroy Seaglider prototype fly in ground effect live. Seaglider vessels are high-speed hydrofoiling wing-in-ground effect (WIG) crafts, a new category of maritime mobility.

“We proved the technology and the demand; now we build," said Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO, REGENT. "With $340 million raised to date and 1 Seaglider Way officially open, we're moving from prototype to production and putting Seaglider vessels in customers' hands. This is what reindustrializing America looks like: a cutting-edge facility, a first-rate team, and a product the world wants."

Growing Seaglider Demand

The factory opens in response to growing defense contracts and commercial demand across the Viceroy and Squire Seaglider product lines.

The newly opened facility will serve as the global production hub helping REGENT to fulfil its growing commercial order book across six continents and support the company’s growing defense business, including $20 million in contracts with the U.S. Marine Corps. The layout has been designed to support phased capacity increases as production scales, without compromising safety or certification objectives.

Revitalizing American Manufacturing

The event also signals the official start of Seaglider manufacturing operations. The 255,000-square-foot Seaglider Manufacturing Facility, located at 1 Seaglider Way in Quonset Business Park, RI, will deliver the first Viceroy Seaglider vessels to customers as early as late 2027 and build up to rate production of 75 Viceroy vessels and 300 Squire Seaglider drones per year.

The site includes dedicated areas for structural assembly, wing and hydrofoil integration, battery and systems installation, and water-based test and acceptance operations, with direct waterfront access for continued sea trials. 

The location of the manufacturingfacility offers proximity to Rhode Island’s skilled maritime and manufacturingworkforce. REGENT has pledged to create up to 750 over the next decade and hasalready reinvested $71.5 million into the local economy.

Rhode Island's Quonset Business Park, with its storied legacy in defense manufacturing and maritime industry, provides the ideal home for this next chapter. The site was formally renamed 1 Seaglider Way earlier this year, a recognition by local officials of the facility's significance to the region's future.

Furthermore, REGENT is aligned with thebroader focus on rebuilding the American maritime industrial base and thefuture of American Shipbuilding. Through partnership with the Department of Warand aligned with the Trump Administration’s initiatives on manufacturing,restoring American maritime dominance, and the Maritime Action Plan, REGENT ishelping strengthen economic, military, industrial, and national security forfuture generations.

Event Highlights

Guests boarded ferries on Narragansett Bay to watch REGENT Craft's two Seagliders vessels in action: the full-scale Viceroy prototype and the Squire Seaglider drone. During the on-water demonstration, both vessels showed all three modes of operation: float, foil, and fly. The event marked the fifth flight of the Viceroy prototype.

Back at the factory, guests took tours of the facility, watched motor and AI perception technology demonstrations, operated the Seaglider simulators, boarded the full-scale cabin mock-up, and networked with partners and suppliers.  

The ribbon-cutting ceremony brought together leaders from aviation, defense, and finance. Speakers included:

• U.S.Representative Gabe Amo
• Kamio Ao, Japan Airlines
• Admiral Butch Dollaga, Ret., former Chief of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Navy Operating Partner, and Operating Partner, AE Industrial Partners
• Stephen Edwards,CEO, Hornblower
• Steven King, Managing Director, Quonset Development Corporation
• Stan Little, Chairman, The Twenty Five
• U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner
• Admiral William Moran, Ret. Former Vice Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy
• David Neeleman, Founder and CEO, Breeze Airways
• General Robert Neller, Ret. Former 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps
• George Prentzas, CEO, Versa Advanced Maritime Services
• Stefan Pryor, Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce
• Matt Ridley,Director of Sustainability and Innovation, oneworld Alliance
• Pasha Saleh, Headof Corporate Development, Alaska Airlines
• Troy Selberg, Director of Workforce Initiatives, U.S.Department of Labor
• Brian Schettler, Partner and Head, AE Ventures
• Rear Admiral Lorin Selby (Ret.), General Partner, Mare Liberum
• Admiral Charles Ray, Ret. Former Vice Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard
• Captain Hussam Farrouq Suyyagh, Manager of Business Excellence, ADNOC L&S

About REGENT 

REGENT is pioneering the future of maritime mobility throughthe development and manufacturing of Seaglider™ vessels, high-speedhydrofoiling wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft that operate over the waterwithin a wingspan of the surface, combining the speed of an aircraft with theconvenience of a boat. A dual use company based in Rhode Island, U.S., REGENThas attracted growing military and commercial demand, including an expanded $20million US Marine Corps contract for its Viceroy platform, rising interest inits autonomous Squire platform, and a global order book spanning six continentswith multiple years of manufacturing capacity booked. REGENT has secured morethan $340 million in funding commitments from investors including AE Ventures,Mare Liberum, Valor Equity Partners, Lockheed Martin, Japan Airlines, and AbuDhabi’s Strategic Development Fund, with manufacturing financing from EreborBank.

REGENT Craft Press Team: regent@boldspace.com