Navy order transitions Blackbeard from early operational capability prototypes to production rounds under a SBIR Phase III award

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Castelion today announced a production delivery order from the U.S. Navy, with a total value of up to $200 million, to manufacture, assemble, test, and deliver an initial lot of Blackbeard Hypersonic Weapons to the fleet. Awarded by Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation (PAE(A)) through its Future Capability Development and Integration Aviation Rapid Capabilities Cell, these rounds will follow the 50 Early Operational Capability (EOC) weapons ordered in June of this year.

Blackbeard’s rapid transition to production is a result of the U.S. Navy’s embrace of commercial innovation and private investment to accelerate carrier-based long range hypersonic strike.

“The Navy’s decision to move into production reflects its confidence in the Blackbeard program, and the progress we’ve made together,” said Bryon Hargis, Co-founder and CEO of Castelion. “That’s how you get capability to the fleet fast, clear red tape, and partner with industry. We are grateful to PAE(A) for the trust and the urgency. Blackbeard was engineered from day one for the production line, and we look forward to delivering this capability to the fleet.” 

Blackbeard is an air-launched hypersonic strike weapon that gives naval aviation a responsive, long-range, high-speed strike option against maritime and land targets, significantly increasing magazine depth and expanding the lethal reach of naval aviation. The award builds on a series of U.S. Army and U.S. Navy platform integration contracts.

Castelion has developed Blackbeard with hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment in partnership with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and U.S. Air Force. Blackbeard’s production strategy involves the use of vertical integration and commercial manufacturing methods, giving the company greater control over cost, quality, and schedule from raw material to finished round.

Work under the award will be performed at Project Ranger, the company’s 1,000-acre manufacturing campus in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and at its facility in Torrance, California.

About Castelion 
Castelion builds American hypersonic deterrence through rapid, affordable, and scalable production of advanced strike weapons. Blackbeard is the first U.S. hypersonic weapon engineered from inception for industrial-rate output, commercial unit cost, and continuous flight test iteration. The company is headquartered in Torrance, California, with manufacturing operations in New Mexico, Texas, and California, and offices in Washington D.C. www.castelion.com.

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SOURCE Castelion