Blackbeard by Castelion: status and timeline

Blackbeard

A low-cost, air-launched hypersonic strike weapon for carrier-based fighters. Blackbeard carries warheads to maritime and land targets at Mach 5+ over 200 nautical miles.

DeployStage 4 of 5

Production underway. First order (50 units, $200M) placed September 2026; deliveries mid-2027.

Updated 16d agoChecked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Initial deliveries to Navy

MACE program selectionFeb 2026Complete.
$23.4M pre-production contractJun 2026Complete.
$200M production order14 Sep 2026Complete.
First flight test from F/A-1825 Sep 2026Complete.
Initial deliveries to NavyTarget Q2 2027Not yet reached.
Limited operational serviceTarget Aug 2028Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Q2 2027Initial deliveries to Navy (next)
Aug 2028Limited operational service
Aug 2028IOC (Initial Operational Capability)

Current obstacles

Defended airspace penetrationAir defense systems attempt to detect and engage before impact; hypersonic speed reduces reaction time but not the threat.
Scaling rapid productionManufacturing hundreds of hypersonic missiles per year requires supply-chain maturity and quality control at speed, still being proven.

Physics limits

Hypersonic heating limits enduranceAir friction at Mach 5 heats surfaces to over 1,000 °C; thermal protection and materials that remain strong when hot limit how long the missile can sustain cruise.
Range-payload tradeFuel for longer range competes with payload weight and warhead mass; 200 nautical miles represents a balance point for this weapon class.

How it works

3 parts

Launch

Carried aloft and released

F-35 and F/A-18 fighters carry Blackbeard on external pylons, climb to release altitude, and launch it toward target coordinates.

Propulsion

Hypersonic ramjet or solid rocket

After booster separation, the missile sustains Mach 5+ cruise using a ramjet or solid rocket motor optimized for high-speed flight.

Guidance

Inertial and terminal guidance

Inertial navigation (gyros and accelerometers) provides mid-course accuracy; terminal guidance may use GPS or radio updates until weapon release.

Spec sheet

Spec	Blackbeard
Strike range	200 nautical miles^R (reported)
Cruise speed	Mach 5+^R (reported)
Estimated unit cost	Below $500,000^R (reported)
First production order	50 units^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

4 updates

About Castelion

The team behind Blackbeard

Castelion

Blackbeard hypersonic missile, air-launched strike

Castelion is a defense technology company building low-cost hypersonic strike weapons for the US Navy. The company was founded by former SpaceX engineers and manufactures weapons at facilities in California, Texas and New Mexico.

Founded in 2022 by former SpaceX engineers, Castelion raised $350 million in Series B in 2026.
The Navy awarded $200 million for Blackbeard production in September 2026, with 50 missiles in the first order.
Each missile costs under $500,000, designed to arm F-35 and F/A-18 fighters with a 200-nautical-mile strike range.

castelion.com (opens castelion.com)Company profile →

Founded: 20224 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: $1.5Best. privateApr 2026estimate
Raised: $450M2 rounds
Last round: Series B · $350MQ2 2026
Works in: AviationSupersonic & hypersonic
Coverage: 1 program · 6 updateslatest 16d agochecked 10 Oct
Lead investors: Altimeter CapitalLightspeed Venture PartnersAndreessen Horowitz
Customers: US Navy
Partners: Lockheed Martin
People: Bryon Hargis (opens crunchbase.com)CEO & Co-founderSean PittCOO & Co-founderAndrew KreitzCFO & Co-founder

Spec

Blackbeard

Strike range

200 nautical miles^R (reported)

Cruise speed

Mach 5+^R (reported)

Estimated unit cost

Below $500,000^R (reported)

First production order

50 units^R (reported)

Blackbeard

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Carried aloft and released

Hypersonic ramjet or solid rocket

Inertial and terminal guidance

Spec sheet

Update log

Fri 25 Sep

Mon 14 Sep

Jun 2026

Feb 2026

About Castelion

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Carried aloft and released

Hypersonic ramjet or solid rocket

Inertial and terminal guidance

Spec sheet

Update log

Fri 25 Sep

Mon 14 Sep

Jun 2026

Feb 2026

About Castelion