Jamie Bennet
Lockheed Martin‘s venture arm made a strategic investment in Regent in a bid to help the maritime transportation company speed up the development of its electric seagliders for potential defense applications.
Lockheed is eyeing the vehicle as a low-cost, sustainable option to address the logistical and mission-critical transport needs of the Department of Defense, Regent said Wednesday.
The zero-emission seagliders are designed to transport people and supplies at 180 miles per hour between coastal destinations.
Regent has sold more than 400 units to customers, including New Zealand’s Ocean Flyer, Germany’s FRS and Hawaii’s Southern Airways Express. It is working to get its 12-passenger seaglider, Viceroy, to market by 2025.
“This investment is a strong signal that seagliders can fill this immediate need in the high-priority missions faced by our Department of Defense,” said Regent CEO and Co-founder Billy Thalheimer. “Lockheed Martin’s expertise and resources will be invaluable as we work together to adapt seagliders for defense use cases that are critically important to national security.”
