Construction started of REGENT’s first seaglider manufacturing facility at Rhode Island

High-speedREGENT celebrated the start of construction of their first seaglider manufacturing facility, located in the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Coming online in 2026, the 23,000 square-metre facility will house seaglider component manufacturing, vehicle final assembly, and pre-delivery testing for their all-electric hydrofoiling wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) 12-passenger Viceroy seaglider.

Rhode Island was chosen as their headquarters due to its diverse coastal testing environments, strong naval architecture and composites expertise, and access to top talent from across New England.

More than 100 guests, including Rhode Island public officials, members of the Quonset Development Corporation, and local community members gathered under an American flag on the facility site, located just steps from Narragansett Bay. The event included remarks and a ceremonial breaking of the ground.

“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,” said Billy Thalheimer, Co-Founder and CEO of REGENT. “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.”

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

In addition, REGENT has committed to creating 300 jobs, with the potential for up to 750, over the next 10 years, unlocking up to USD 13 million in incentives under Rhode Island’s Qualified Jobs Program.

REGENT says they have a global commercial order book of more than USD 9 billion across six continents, and a full-scale, passenger-carrying seaglider prototype will start sea trials in the coming months and make history with the first-ever human flight on a seaglider this year.

The Viceroy seaglider will travel up to 300 km (180 miles) at 300 kph (180 mph) with 12 passengers or a 1,600kg (3,500lbs) payload.

A larger Monarch seaglider version will be offered later, which will travel up to 650 km (400 miles) at 225 kph (140 mph) with 50-100 passengers or a 10,000kg (22,000lbs) payload.