US Navy moves Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon into production
The US Navy has awarded Castelion a production delivery order worth up to 200 million dollars for its Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon. The order follows 50 Early Operational Capability units ordered in June 2026, moving the air-launched weapon from early testing toward fleet delivery.
The US Navy has moved its Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon into full-rate production, awarding Castelion a production delivery order worth up to 200 million dollars through the Navy's Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation office. The order covers manufacturing, assembly, testing and delivery of an initial lot of the air-launched weapon, and follows a separate order for 50 Early Operational Capability units placed in June 2026. Work is being carried out at Castelion's Rio Rancho, New Mexico campus and its Torrance, California facility, with hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment backing the program alongside the Navy, Army and Air Force.