REGENT deepens Siemens ties in AAM seaglider development

Creator of an electric-powered seaglider within the bustling advanced air mobility (AAM) sector, REGENT, is reinforcing its relationship with tech partner Siemens to speed and strengthen the digital development of its innovative craft toward prototype, certification, and production phases.

REGENT said the deepening of the partnership will both provide accentuated use of Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio of digital tools and development processes for its flagship Viceroy seaglider, and afford increased technical support from the German engineering and tech giant throughout the various phases of the AAM aircraft’s evolution. The mutual objective, says REGENT, is to create a digital enterprise leveraging new insights and levels of automation at every point of its value chain. 

To do that, REGENT is deepening its reliance on Siemens’ ability to help it develop a comprehensive, integrated portfolio of software and services for AAM seaglider design, system simulation, manufacturing, operations, and lifecycle analytics.

Read more: REGENT signs accords to bring AAM seaglider flights to Hawaii 

REGENT – part of venture capitalist Mark Cuban’s startup network – is working toward the production of its battery-powered Viceroy seaglider, which is designed to provide AAM transport between coastal destinations by flying just above the surfaces of water beneath. 

Initially planned as a 12-passenger craft, the Viceroy seaglider uses a foil to elevate itself 10 to 30 feet above the water’s surface, where it exploits a cushion of air created by what’s known as a “ground effect” for more efficient flight. REGENT’s emissions-free AAM innovation is expected to have a 180-mile range with existing battery technologies, with future seagliders flying to up to 500 miles as electric power cell capacities improve. 

In May REGENT announced a strategic investment in Hawaiian Airlines, which is slated to become the first US carrier to incorporate the 100-passenger Monarch seaglider in its fleet. Last month, the company struck a deal with inner-island Hawaiian carrier Mokulele Airlines to operate REGENT’s Viceroy AAM seagliders. 

Prior to those moves, REGENT began working with trans-Channel transporter Brittany Ferries to begin seaglider AAM seaglider service between England and France in 2028.

Read more: English Channel travelers to get ‘flying ferry’ AAM service by 2028 

Using the additional support from its deepened partnership with Siemens, REGENT says full-scale prototype of the planes are expected to start sea trials in 2023, with production craft to enter service two years later.

“At REGENT we are focused on bringing a revolutionary new vehicle to the transportation market with the potential to change how both people and freight move over the water,” said Mike Klinker, REGENT cofounder and chief technology officer. “As our seagliders approach certification and full-scale commercial production, we need a robust, modern digital tools platform that supports the pace of our innovation cycles with the rigor to encompass a product as complex as ours. Siemens Xcelerator as a Service was a perfect fit for a digital-first startup like ours. Cloud native solutions, such as Teamcenter X, minimize administrative overhead and allow us to focus 100 percent on design, engineering, manufacturing, and innovation. Siemens’ valued collaboration and the subscription model provide significant cash flow benefits that are vital to any startup.”