Viceroy WIG prototype demonstrates medevac, casevac capabilities for marine corps

Personnel demonstrate the transfer of a simulated casualty from a seaglider to a dock during a rescue demonstration for the US Marine Corps. (REGENT Craft)

REGENT (Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport) Craft has completed a rescue demonstration with its Viceroy Seaglider wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) aircraft under a contract with the US Marine Corps (USMC), according to a company statement on 16 November.

The demonstration was designed to show how seaglider technology can support medical evacuation (medevac) and casualty evacuation (casevac) missions, the statement said.

“During a rescue scenario, seaglider vessels can fly to the scene, land on the water, manoeuvre alongside survivors, board them directly, and take off again, enabling a rapid and seamless transition from rescue to medical transport. In addition, their spacious, configurable interiors can incorporate the medical equipment, gear, and personnel required for medevac and casevac missions,” the statement said.

Initial demo

The demonstration was part of a USD15 million other transaction agreement contract with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL), which focuses on three mission sets: medevac and casevac; contested logistics; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and sensor perception, Tom Huntley, general manager for REGENT Defense, told Janes on 3 December.

“These are missions that are not only tailor-made for the seaglider but also a mission gap in our maritime forces,” he said.

The lessons learned from the demonstration will help the USMC build its tactics, techniques, and procedures “as we move towards a Program of Record”, Huntley said.

This was the first mission demonstration for REGENT's Viceroy prototype, so it focused on basic manoeuvres, such as “how you bring a non-ambulatory survivor in and out of the seaglider on a stretcher”, Huntley said.