REGENT breaks ground on ‘world’s first’ seaglider manufacturing facility

REGENT Craft, a U.S. developer of all-electric seagliders, has started the construction of what is said to be the “world’s first” seaglider manufacturing facility in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the 255,000-square-foot (23,690 square meters) facility was held in the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown.

The facility is scheduled to come online in 2026, housing seaglider component manufacturing, vehicle final assembly, and pre-delivery testing for REGENT’s 12-passenger Viceroy seaglider.

The manufacturer said it had chosen Rhode Island as its headquarters because “it offers the ideal conditions to develop a new maritime vessel: diverse coastal testing environments, strong naval architecture and composites expertise, and access to top talent from across New England”.

REGENT has received $1 million from the Rhode Island Commerce Department under the First Wave Closing Fund Act, and the state has further committed to investing $3 million under the Rebuild Rhode Island Tax Credit Act.

In return, REGENT said it had committed to creating 300 jobs, with the potential for up to 750, over the next ten years, unlocking up to $13 million in incentives under Rhode Island’s Qualified Jobs Program.

Billy Thalheimer, Co-Founder and CEO of REGENT, commented on the occasion: “Breaking ground on the Seaglider Manufacturing Facility represents a pivotal moment in REGENT’s history, bringing us closer to meeting the incredible global demand for our all-electric seagliders.

“We are honored to partner with our state leaders, the Quonset Development Corporation, and our local community members to create well-paying jobs in Rhode Island, reinvigorate American-made manufacturing, and make the Ocean State the global epicenter of the Blue Economy.”

In late 2024, REGENT revealed it had begun hardware and systems integration of its full-scale Viceroy seaglider prototype. The full-scale, passenger-carrying seaglider prototype is set to start sea trials in the coming months and “make history with the first-ever human flight on a seaglider this year”.

So far, the U.S. manufacturer secured more than 600 seaglider orders valued at more than $9 billion from airline, ferry, freight, and lessor operators around the world. One of the recent orders the company won was placed by South Florida’s UrbanLink Air Mobility for 27 all-electric seagliders.

The company will also deliver its all-electric Monarch seaglider to United Marine Egypt (UME) Shipping.