Castelion Wins $90M Navy Deal for Blackbeard
The US Navy has awarded Castelion an $89.9 million contract to advance the Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon toward Early Operational Capability by 2028
The US Navy has awarded Castelion an $89.9 million contract to advance the Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon. The firm-fixed-price order, valued at $89,997,162, aims to achieve Early Operational Capability (EOC) for the weapon by August 2028.
According to a Castelion press release, the award builds on the company's prior work on a low-cost, highly manufacturable long-range strike weapon. The contract funds engineering, technical, logistics, and manufacturing services to support 50 EOC weapons and facilitate Blackbeard's transition to a formal Navy Program of Record.
Work under this contract will be performed in Torrance, California. The funding also covers design modifications for Defense Exportability Features, intended to accelerate the weapon's export to US allies and partners.
Weapon Specifications and Strategy
Developed by the California-based defense startup Castelion, Blackbeard is a compact, long-range hypersonic strike weapon engineered specifically for high-rate mass production. Naval News reports the system is designed from inception for industrial scalability rather than low-volume demonstration programs.
The weapon features vertically integrated propulsion and guidance systems. It is designed to achieve speeds exceeding Mach 5 with an operational strike range of up to 500 nautical miles, approximately 800 kilometers.
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Speed | Exceeds Mach 5 |
| Operational Strike Range | Up to 500 nautical miles (~800 km) |
| Target Production Cost | Under $500,000 per round |
While initially tested for land-based platforms, Blackbeard has become a pivotal element of US Navy carrier aviation strategy. The Navy is heavily prioritizing its integration onto the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet.
Program Objectives and Industrial Approach
This contract is described as a critical step in transitioning Blackbeard from development and flight testing toward operationally relevant production. Castelion states that Blackbeard is the first US hypersonic system engineered from inception for industrial-rate output, commercial unit cost, and continuous flight test iteration.
The company aims for a production cost under $500,000 per round. This approach trades a heavy warhead payload for unit affordability, a contrast to more expensive, multi-million-dollar hypersonic programs.
By enabling high-volume magazine capacity on aircraft carriers, the weapon aims to compress enemy decision-making timelines. The goal is to provide the US Navy with scalable, conventional strike volume across contested maritime environments.
Castelion builds American hypersonic deterrence through rapid, affordable, and scalable production of advanced strike weapons. The company is headquartered in Torrance, California, with manufacturing operations in New Mexico, Texas, and California, and offices in Washington D.C. The weapon is intended to provide carrier air wings with a rapid-response, standoff hypersonic capability designed to penetrate modern anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) bubbles.
