Castelion, a defense startup, announced today it has won „multiple awards” for its Blackbeard hypersonic weapon system, marking the company’s initial platform integration contracts for both Army and Navy applications. The details of the platforms remain largely under wraps, but budget documents hint at the Army’s potential plans.
Affordability and Speed Key to Modern Deterrence
„These integration contracts validate that affordability and speed are critical to modern deterrence,” said Castelion CEO Bryon Hargis in a statement. „Castelion leads the market designing for manufacturability and rapid iteration, enabling the Department of War to move faster from concept to capability.”
Blackbeard as a Potential PrSM Variant
While a Castelion executive declined to specify the Army platforms involved, fiscal 2026 budget documents, still awaiting congressional approval, indicate the Army’s intention to develop a future Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) variant. This variant, known as HX3, could potentially „double the range” of the baseline PrSM 1 at a reduced cost. The budget documents state the Army plans to test this capability using Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic missile to engage „time sensitive moving targets and hardened targets” at a „much-reduced cost per missile than currently exists in the Army inventory.”
The Army’s budget documents stated, „Blackbeard GL [Ground Launch] is not a replacement to the Long Range Hypersonic Weapons (LRHW) as it will not reach similar velocities nor range. The goal of Blackbeard GL is to deliver approximately 80 (percent) of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 4 capability at a significantly reduced cost.”
Naval Integration and the Hypersonic Race
The Castelion executive also remained tight-lipped about the Naval platform integration. However, the company previously secured a contract from the Office of Naval Research to conduct „an initial trade study to identity cost, schedule, and performance estimates” for an air-launched anti-surface weapon.
These developments come amidst a broader push across all military branches to develop hypersonic weapons, as the U.S. and China compete for dominance in this advanced weaponry. Last month, China showcased its new YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missiles during its annual military parade.
Blackbeard and the Army’s CAML Effort
The requirement for Blackbeard was approved in May 2025 following a directive from Army senior leaders to the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to proceed with the new Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) effort, which includes medium and heavy variants.
The Army noted in its budget that, „Blackbeard GL is a companion development to the Army’s Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) effort which holds the potential to replace the base HIMARS [High Mobility Artillery Rocket System] launcher platform amongst other launchers. While envisioned as a primary munition for CAML, Blackbeard GL is designed to be compatible with existing HIMARS platforms as an interim solution.”
The Army’s fiscal 2026 budget allocates $25 million for Blackbeard development, structured in two phases. The first phase involves Castelion delivering a „prototype proof-of-concept” for demonstration between January and March 2026. If successful, the company will then be tasked with delivering 10 minimum viable product prototypes for flight testing from a M142 HIMARS towards the end of FY26.
According to the company’s release, „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.”
