Castelion, a US defense technology company, has secured integration contracts to deploy its Blackbeard hypersonic weapon system on operational US Army and Navy platforms. The agreements involve live-fire demonstrations to advance cost-effective, long-range strike capabilities for conventional deterrence. Blackbeard, Castelion’s first hypersonic weapon, is designed for rapid production and fielding, combining advanced propulsion and guidance systems at lower costs than legacy weapons. The company aims to enhance the affordability, manufacturability, and readiness of next-generation strike systems for the joint force. They write:
Castelion, a U.S. defense technology company developing affordable, long-range strike weapons, announced today that it has been awarded integration contracts for its Blackbeard weapon system with operational U.S. Army and U.S. Navy platforms.
Under these agreements, Castelion will work with both services to integrate the hypersonic Blackbeard weapon system onto operational platforms and demonstrate its capabilities in live-fire tests – advancing the Department of War’s effort to evaluate and accelerate new, cost-effective strike capabilities for conventional deterrence.
“These integration contracts validate that affordability and speed are critical to modern deterrence,” said Bryon Hargis, Castelion’s Chief Executive Officer. “Castelion leads the market designing for manufacturability and rapid iteration, enabling the Department of War to move faster from concept to capability.”
Blackbeard is Castelion’s first long-range, hypersonic strike weapon, designed for mass production and rapid fielding once integration and testing are complete. The system leverages vertically integrated propulsion and guidance subsystems to achieve performance at a fraction of the cost of legacy weapons – supporting the Department’s objective of building credible, non-nuclear deterrent capacity at scale.
Castelion continues to collaborate with Government and industry partners to advance the affordability, manufacturability, and readiness of next-generation strike systems for the joint force.
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