Inheritors of the Ekranoplan Legacy

Japan Airlines (JAL) and Rhode Island, U.S.-based Regent Craft have entered into a comprehensive partnership under which the two companies will pioneer seaglider operations in Japan. Subject agreement follows strategic investment in Regent by JAL Innovation Fund—a JAL Group subsidiary firm established in 2019 for purpose of providing Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) funding to startup companies deemed capable of bringing added-value to the global airline industry.

The all-electric seaglider currently being developed by Regent is a wing-in-ground effect craft which functions after the fashion of the ekranoplan ground-effect vehicles developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and ‘70s. Regent’s seaglider is a “V”-hull, high-wing flying-boat fitted with forward and aft ventral hydrofoils. The craft’s empennage is of the “T”-tail variety, and its wings incorporate dihedral and anhedral sections featuring radically-down-turned distal termini fitted with pontoons. The craft develops thrust by means of no fewer than eight wing-mounted electric motors (four-per-side) each driving a single three-blade propeller.

Accelerating to rotation-speed (Vr), the seaglider rises up on its hydrofoils before climbing to only a few meters above the water’s surface—availing itself of the diminished aerodynamic drag characteristic of ground-effect.

The JAL-Regent agreement instantiates a commitment to deepen business development between the two companies with the goal of establishing a system of seaglider operations in Japan. JAL brings to the table knowledge accumulated over 72-years of aircraft operations while Regent offers expertise in the field of flight-physics, electric propulsion, rapid-prototyping, and flight-control software. Together, the two concerns seek to drive awareness and understanding of seagliders in Japan and the Far East region, identify jurisdictions for seaglider operations by JAL and JAL Group operators, develop infrastructure for seaglider operations—to include a planned demonstration flight in 2025—and obtain certification for the commercial operation of electric seagliders.

JAL executive officer and senior vice-president of digital innovation Yasushi Noda stated: “I am delighted that we have successfully concluded this agreement. Japan, being an island nation, seaglider offers great potential for our country to connect people and to transport goods throughout the nation in a sustainable manner. By joining forces with REGENT and utilizing their compelling technology, we look forward to bringing this revolutionary vehicle to the global market in the near future."

Regent co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer remarked: “Japan is an exemplary market for seaglider travel and logistics and we look forward to partnering with JAL to accelerate the adoption of seagliders throughout the country, and the broader Asia Pacific region. By leveraging the expertise JAL has cultivated over the years to conduct safe operations, we hope to create a world where everyone can travel safely and comfortably by seaglider.”

FMI: www.regentcraft.com