U.S. Company Castelion Unveils Low-Cost Blackbeard Hypersonic Missile

U.S. startup Castelion, founded by former SpaceX employees, has unveiled its low-cost Blackbeard hypersonic missile, The War Zone reports.

The first look at the missile came as the company announced it secured $1 billion in new funding, which would help launch production. Although the missile has already been shown during testing, this variant is likely a pre-production model.

Hypersonic weapons offer highly attractive capabilities, but they are extremely expensive, and this cost could limit their procurement in large numbers or their use against a broader range of targets.

Castelion is trying to change this situation by developing hypersonic weapons that can be procured in large quantities and used more freely, even if their performance is somewhat reduced.

Blackbeard is equipped with a rocket booster similar to that of a ballistic missile, topped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) that has no onboard propulsion.

The booster propels the HGV to the required speed and altitude, after which it releases it toward the target. This concept differs from air-breathing cruise missiles capable of traveling at hypersonic speeds.

Speeds above Mach 5 are generally considered hypersonic, and large ballistic missiles also reach such speeds during flight.

There are currently no more precise data on Blackbeard’s specifications, but Castelion has previously hinted that the missile could strike targets at a range of just under 800 kilometers.

The company notes Blackbeard went “from scratch” to an officially approved program in less than four years, with the missile scheduled to enter service in 2027.

In May of this year, the Pentagon announced plans to procure at least 10,000 Blackbeard missiles, as well as the same number of less expensive cruise missiles, over the next three years.

The missile is designed to be launched from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) MLR. It is also expected to be tested from an F/A-18 fighter jet.