The initial deployment of eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing) at a military base by the US Air Force is already a historical moment. In contrast, the US Marine Corps is exploring similarly groundbreaking alternatives that pertain to littoral mobility. The Viceory seaglider is performing admirably.
The aspects of seagliders that are most frequently discussed are island hopping, resort transportation, and tourism. The thought of these aircraft maneuvering in proximity to the water’s surface evokes images of picturesque coastal cities, travel, and vacations. However, they are also capable of performing a crucial function in defense logistics. For this reason, the United States Marine Corps invested nearly $5 million in a seaglider developer based in Rhode Island.
The Viceroy seaglider manufacturer, Regent Craft, has been awarded a contract worth $4.5 million by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL). The two are collaborating to initiate a program in which the Viceroy will demonstrate its capabilities, including maneuver and transport operations as well as its three modes of operation. Alternatively stated, Regent Craft intends to showcase its seaglider technology in the context of defense logistics.
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With this seaglider’s versatility in the littorals, the Marines could convey personnel and cargo, conduct ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), and conduct expeditionary advanced base operations.
It distinguishes itself from other air vehicles by operating at low costs, requiring no runway infrastructure, and having a minimal signature. Viceroy combines a high burden (it can transport 12 passengers weighing 3,500 pounds each or 1,587 kilograms of cargo) with a long range (180 miles or 289 kilometers per charge) to enhance its overall performance.
The seaglider Viceroy, manufactured by Regent Craft, is formally classified as a wing-in-ground effect craft. It purports to merge the swiftness of an aircraft with the economical operation costs of a boat. Being entirely electric, it provides the advantages of ultra-low-altitude, zero-emission conveyance.
It operates without the need for runways and is compatible with the current terminal infrastructure, in contrast to conventional aircraft. As battery technology continues to advance, its zero-emission range is anticipated to increase to 500 miles (800 km) in the future.
Hydrofoil technology, which was adapted from maritime design, distinguishes this futuristic machine from other seagliders, in addition to its battery propulsion system. It asserts that it is the first aircraft of its kind to combine wave-tolerance hydrofoils with wing-borne flight.
There are three modes of operation for the Viceroy seaglider: hull, foil, and wing-borne. It ascends on its hydrofoil for a seamless transition to wing-borne mode, where it flies like an aircraft just a few meters above the water’s surface, after launching from the quay like a boat.
Following this tҺrilling initiative with the United States Marine Corps, the Rhode Island-based company will conduct a live technical demonstration of its full-scale prototype. In the midst of a massive military exercise, the demonstration will occur.