Contract Awards
08/25/2026
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U.S. Navy Awards Castelion $90M to Advance Blackbeard to Early Operational Capability
Castelion has been awarded an $89,997,162 firm-fixed-price order from the U.S. Navy to advance Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon to Early Operational Capability (EOC). The award is building on Castelion’s prior work regarding “Low Cost Highly Manufacturable Long Range Strike Weapon Production.”
TORRANCE, Calif. — August 25, 2026 — Castelion has been awarded an $89,997,162 firm-fixed-price order from the U.S. Navy to advance Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon to Early Operational Capability (EOC). The award is building on Castelion’s prior work regarding “Low Cost Highly Manufacturable Long Range Strike Weapon Production.”
The order funds engineering, technical, logistics, and manufacturing services supporting 50 EOC weapons and Blackbeard’s transition to a Navy Program of Record. It also funds Defense Exportability Features design modifications to accelerate export to our allies and partners.
The award is a critical step in Blackbeard’s transition from development and flight testing toward operationally relevant production. Work will be performed in Torrance, California, and is expected to be completed in August 2028.
About Castelion
Castelion builds American hypersonic deterrence through rapid, affordable, and scalable production of advanced strike weapons. Blackbeard is the first U.S. hypersonic system 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.
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