Video: US Marines test electric seaglider in first real-world rescue mission

REGENT Craft, a Rhode Island-based company, has successfully demonstrated its Seaglider maritime aircraft in real-world rescue missions with the US Marine Corps, validating its potential for medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) in challenging coastal environments. The Marine Corps tested the Seaglider prototype across three scenarios: loading a non-ambulatory patient from a dock, extracting an injured person from a beach, and recovering a life raft in rough seas. The craft’s ability to rapidly switch between high-speed flight and low-speed sea operations allows it to reach casualties quickly, board them directly from the water, and depart without specialized infrastructure, addressing limitations faced by traditional rescue platforms like helicopters and boats. The Seaglider operates in three modes—hullborne vessel, hydrofoil, and wing-in-ground-effect aircraft—enabling efficient, high-speed travel close to the sea surface. The military variant, called the Viceroy, is expected to cruise at speeds up to 160 knots (about 180 mph), carry