The US Navy has awarded defense technology startup Castellion its first contract for the delivery of 50 early operational capability pre-production Blackbeard hypersonic missiles.
The $23.4-million award marks an important step in Blackbeard’s transition from development and flight testing to operationally relevant production.
It will support continued maturation of Castellion’s low-cost, highly manufacturable long-range hypersonic strike weapon while expanding production capacity at the company’s Project Ranger manufacturing campus in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Work will be performed primarily in Rio Rancho, with additional activities in Torrance, California, and is expected to be completed in 2027.
“Blackbeard was designed from the beginning to support our nation’s conventional deterrence,” Castellion Co-Founder and CEO Bryon Hargis said.
“This award reflects the Navy’s continued commitment to rapidly advancing affordable, manufacturable long-range strike capability and moving Blackbeard toward early operational use.”
Blackbeard Development
The award follows a nearly $50-million contract received by Castellion in February to accelerate development and prototype production of the multi-platform Blackbeard hypersonic weapon.
In April, the company also secured a separate $107-million contract to continue efforts to integrate Blackbeard with the F/A-18.
Castellion and Saronic have also announced plans to integrate Blackbeard with the Marauder unmanned surface vessel (USV) in a 2027 demonstration, which the companies say could mark the first launch of a hypersonic weapon from a USV.
Additionally, Castellion has invested more than $250 million in Project Ranger, a 1,000-acre (405-hectare) manufacturing campus in New Mexico designed to support hypersonic missile production at scale.
