Castelion Moves Blackbeard Into Production with U.S. Navy Order Valued Up to $200 Million
The award moves Blackbeard from prototype work into initial production for fleet use, following a June order for 50 early operational rounds.
- On Monday, the U.S. Navy placed a production delivery order worth up to $200 million with Castelion for an initial lot of Blackbeard hypersonic weapons, covering manufacture, assembly, testing, and delivery to the fleet.
- This new contract follows a June 16, 2026, agreement in which the Navy paid Castelion $23.4 million for 50 Early Operational Capability prototypes, establishing the foundation for transitioning to fleet-scale production.
- Work will occur at Castelion's Torrance, California, headquarters and its 1,000-acre Project Ranger campus in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where the company engineered Blackbeard for industrial-scale output and cost control.
- "The Navy's decision to move into production reflects its confidence in the Blackbeard program," said Bryon Hargis, co-founder and CEO of Castelion, noting the partnership clears red tape for rapid fleet delivery.
- The hypersonic weapon, developed with the U.S. Army and Air Force, is undergoing integration for carriage on the F/A-18 Super Hornet, including flight testing and airworthiness certifications required before Navy authorization.
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U.S. Navy orders Blackbeard hypersonic missiles in $200M deal
The U.S. Navy has ordered production rounds of Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon in a deal worth up to $200 million, the company announced Sept. 14, 2026. The delivery order covers an initial production lot of the missile and follows a separate June order for 50 early prototype rounds. The new contract came from Portfolio […]
They are designed to strike both land and sea targets from a long distance, as they have a range of 800 kilometers.
Castelion has announced a contract worth $200 million for Blackbeard hypersonic missiles, writes the Defense and Security Monitor. "This production contract demonstrates what can be achieved when the Navy combines agile procurement procedures with the rigour of commercial production. We put revolutionary hypersonic capacity at the disposal of our fighters, expanding [...]
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