Castelion has been awarded a US$23.4 million firm-fixed-price order from the US Navy for the production and delivery of 50 Blackbeard early operational capability pre-production missile prototypes and 50 associated storage and shipping containers.
Castelion said the award will be followed by the first delivery of low-cost hypersonic strike weapons to the US Navy.
Work under the award will be performed primarily in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, with supporting work in Torrance, California, and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Bryon Hargis, co-founder and CEO of Castelion, said the award, "reflects the navy’s continued commitment to and leadership in rapidly advancing affordable, manufacturable long-range strike capability and moving Blackbeard toward early operational use."
Castelion has also begun collaborating with unmanned systems manufacturer Saronic Technologies on the integration of Blackbeard with Saronic's medium unmanned surface vehicle (USV) prototype. The two companies are planning to conduct a demonstration launch of a missile from a USV in 2027.
