Regent opens Seaglider factory in Rhode Island

The 255,000 sq ft facility at 1 Seaglider Way in Quonset Business Park has opened, with first Viceroy deliveries to customers planned as early as late 2027.

Regent Craft has opened the world’s first Seaglider Manufacturing Facility at Quonset Business Park, Rhode Island, at an event attended by over 600 leaders across government, defence and business and featuring live flight demonstrations of the Viceroy prototype and Squire Seaglider drone.

It was the first time the public had seen the Viceroy Seaglider prototype fly in ground effect live. Seaglider vessels are high-speed hydrofoiling wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft.

The 255,000 sq ft facility, located at 1 Seaglider Way, 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 layout has been designed to support phased capacity increases as production scales, without compromising safety or certification objectives.

The factory will serve as the global production hub for Regent’s commercial order book across six continents and its defence business, which includes $20 million in contracts with the US Marine Corps.

Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO of Regent, says: “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.”

During the on-water demonstration on Narragansett Bay, both vessels showed all three modes of operation: float, foil and fly. The event was the fifth flight of the Viceroy prototype. Guests also toured the facility, watched motor and AI perception technology demonstrations, operated the Seaglider simulators and boarded the full-scale cabin mock-up.

Regent has pledged to create up to 750 jobs over the next decade and has already reinvested $71.5 million into the local economy. The site was formally renamed 1 Seaglider Way earlier this year.

Speakers at the ribbon-cutting included US Representatives Gabe Amo and Seth Magaziner and General Robert Neller (Ret.), former 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Aviation was represented by David Neeleman, founder and CEO of Breeze Airways, alongside speakers from Japan Airlines, Alaska Airlines and the oneworld Alliance.