On Monday, February 9, 2026, the American company REGENT Defense (part of REGENT Craft – Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport), based in Rhode Island, presented U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and representatives of the United States Department of Defense with a prototype of the next-generation unmanned Squire seaglider, designated as a USA-V (Unmanned Surface and Aerial Vehicle). Federal officials were briefed on Seaglider technology and its proposed role in the future of maritime operations.
Photos: REGENT Defense
Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO of REGENT Craft, Mike Klinker, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, and Tom Huntley, CEO of REGENT Defense, presented Squire, an autonomous Seaglider drone, and discussed how GEV (Ground-Effect Vehicle) craft utilizing the Wing-in-Ground (WIG) effect can enable service members to carry out a range of critical missions. These include logistics in contested environments, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in challenging maritime conditions.
During the discussion, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth emphasized the urgent need to close operational gaps in areas such as contested logistics and counter-narcotics operations, highlighting the importance of rapid action by emerging defense companies like REGENT Defense to deliver field-ready solutions.
The meeting took place at the historic Seabee Museum and Memorial Park in Quonset, Rhode Island, underscoring the link between America’s maritime heritage and the next generation of defense technologies.
“Today’s briefing with Secretary Hegseth and senior staff shows that our military leadership is invested in fielding new technologies to fill critical gaps in maritime defense operations, and we’re proud to deliver Seaglider vessels to meet that urgent need,” Thalheimer said. “We look forward to continuing to work with the US Marine Corps to develop our portfolio of REGENT Defense Seaglider systems and deliver this capability to the warfighter as soon as possible.”
“Since we launched REGENT Defense, we’ve seen incredible traction with the U.S. Department of War and allies and partners around the world, from Taiwan to the Philippines to the U.K. and beyond,” Huntley said. “The signal is clear, and we’re moving quickly to develop, demonstrate, and deliver this transformative technology at scale.”
REGENT Craft has developed the commercial, crewed, all-electric Viceroy seaglider, capable of transporting 12 passengers and two crew members over a distance of up to approximately 160 nautical miles (around 300 km) on current battery technology, making it zero-emission and quiet.
REGENT Craft emphasizes that its vehicles do not share the characteristics of traditional ground effect vehicles, heavy, jet-powered craft, but instead overcome many of their key shortcomings, such as instability, high fuel consumption, complex aerodynamics, and the lack of practical civilian applications.
REGENT Defense will manufacture its Seaglider platforms at its headquarters in Quonset, Rhode Island, where a new 255,000-square-foot (approximately 23,000 m²) production facility is scheduled to open this year. The factory will support large-scale manufacturing while contributing to the revitalization of the American shipbuilding industry and strengthening the domestic industrial base for next-generation maritime systems.
REGENT Craft specializes in the design and production of next-generation ground-effect vehicles known as Seagliders – high-speed craft that travel just a few meters above the water’s surface, combining the speed of an aircraft with the range of a boat. REGENT Craft and REGENT Defense have secured global commercial orders worth more than 10 billion USD from leading airline and ferry operators worldwide, as well as contracts valued at 15 million USD with the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The company has also raised over 100 million USD in funding from investors, including 8090 Industries, Founders Fund, Japan Airlines, and Lockheed Martin.