REGENT Craft has secured a $5 million extension to its agreement with the US Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) to test its electric Seaglider prototype in operationally relevant environments.
The additional funding brings the agreement’s total value to $19.25 million and supports a fourth phase of demonstrations and command-and-control integration.
Six deliverables are planned for this phase, covering prototype capabilities and work on how Seagliders could be assigned missions, tracked, and coordinated during defense operations.
The extension follows Phase III demonstrations of Viceroy, REGENT’s full-scale electric Seaglider prototype, including a flight in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, last month.
Further testing will assess the prototype in conditions relevant to military missions and advance its integration with defense command-and-control systems.
“This next phase of our MCWL partnership is about putting the technology in the hands of the warfighter so they can fully realize the advantages Seagliders bring to the forward-operating areas,” said Becky Russo, REGENT Craft Director, Defense Mission Integration.
Earlier phases included a $4.75-million contract to assess technical feasibility and a $9.5 million allocation for full-scale prototype demonstrations.
Water-Based Transport
REGENT is developing Seagliders to transport personnel and equipment over water, including for military logistics missions in areas where transport routes and infrastructure face threats.
The Viceroy takes off and lands on water and flies close to the surface, allowing it to operate without a runway.
Its electric propulsion system is designed to recharge from shore or aboard ships.
REGENT projects a top speed of 180 miles (290 kilometers) per hour and a range of up to 180 miles (290 kilometers) once operational.
