Authored by Sujita Sinha via Interesting Engineering,
The U.S. Navy has awarded defense technology startup Castelion its first production contract for the Blackbeard hypersonic missile. This $23.4 million deal includes 50 pre-production missiles and shows the Navy is ready to move the program past development and testing.
The U.S. Navy awarded Castellion a contract to deliver Blackbeard hypersonic missiles. CastelionThis contract comes as the Pentagon looks for faster, more affordable hypersonic weapons for long-range strikes. For Castelion, it is the first step toward making Blackbeard at a scale that could support future military missions.
Navy Moves Blackbeard Toward Operational Service
The contract helps further develop the Blackbeard weapon system and expands manufacturing at Castelion's Project Ranger site in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Blackbeard is designed to be a low-cost, easy-to-produce hypersonic missile capable of exceeding Mach 5, or over 3,800 mph (6,100 km/h). At these speeds, it can cover long distances quickly and is much harder to intercept than traditional weapons.
Most of the work for this contract will happen in Rio Rancho, with some activities in Torrance, California. Castelion expects to finish the work in 2027.
This new contract shows increasing confidence in the program as it moves from flight testing to limited production and future deployment.
"Blackbeard was designed from the beginning to support our nation's conventional deterrence," Castelion
