4 months ago
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Regent's all-electric boat-plane hybrid task got a large boost from the authorities this week.
The Marine Corps Warfighting Lab extended its collaboration with Regent with an estimated $10 cardinal declaration connected Wednesday, pursuing the palmy completion of a $4.75 cardinal contract.
This caller signifier of investigating volition absorption connected examining its seaglider's capabilities connected aesculapian evacuation missions.
For CEO Billy Thalheimer, a caller epoch of planetary struggle centered connected the Indo-Pacific represents a "reversion to World War II-style tactics," and the needs of the Pentagon volition beryllium erstwhile again focused connected maritime operations alternatively of godforsaken warfare similar the warfare connected panic successful the Middle East.
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Thalheimer said Regent identified the "capability gap" successful the logistics of moving troops and supplies betwixt land chains successful the Indo-Pacific.
"We privation thing affordable and mass-produced. We bash not person capable boats, the federation is moving connected our shipbuilding capabilities, we privation thing casual to run and casual to crew, due to the fact that it presently takes 2 years to bid a pilot," helium said.
The seaglider travels up to 180 miles astatine up to 180mph speed. It tin instrumentality disconnected and onshore connected water, "eliminating the request for susceptible runway infrastructure," according to the company.
The craft is all-electric, which Thalheimer says makes it easier to refuel anyplace determination is electricity, alternatively than having to transport successful gas.
"You deliberation astir a gallon of substance today, you know, $6. If we're buying it successful the U.S., which tin spell to 100 to $150 erstwhile it's delivered to those, disparate land chains," helium said.
Regent’s Viceroy, which holds 12 passengers with a 65-foot wingspan, completed a palmy oversea trial connected Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay earlier this month.
Regent's "float, foil, fly" motto describes the formation way of the seaglider: First, it floats connected the ocean's surface, past arsenic it picks up velocity it "foils," meaning it gliders implicit the water's aboveground with wing-like structures known arsenic hydrofoils, which past retract arsenic it lifts into the air.
The conveyance leverages "ground effect," avoiding the turbulence of the entity by hovering conscionable astir 30 feet successful the air.
The glider’s earth-hugging formation way is besides designed to debar force radar.
"There's this large accidental to alert beneath radar, but truly supra sonar successful this hard-to-see space."
One cardinal ngo Regent hopes to fulfill is aesculapian evacuations, fixed the speedy turn-around its seagliders tin person from floating connected the oversea adjacent a larboard to flying.
Regent has submitted its plan ground statement (DBA) to the Coast Guard for its Viceroy seaglider to the Coast Guard and expects support adjacent year.
"We are incredibly arrogant to widen our collaboration with the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and proceed to validate however REGENT’s high-speed, low-signature, low-cost seagliders volition alteration defense missions," said Tom Huntley, VP of Government Relations and Defense astatine REGENT. "The 2nd signifier of our statement volition show their usage cases for contested logistics operations successful the maritime domain, fulfilling a captious nationalist information need."
The institution has garnered implicit $90 cardinal successful concern from investors including 8090 Industries, Founders Fund, Japan Airlines and Lockheed Martin.
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