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US defense startup Castelion announced Friday that it will integrate its affordable, long-range hypersonic weapons with operational Army and Navy platforms.
Under the recently signed contract agreement, Castelion will work with both military branches to integrate its hypersonic ‘Blackbeard’ weapon system on operational platforms and participate in live-fire tests.
The company said the new weapons technology will advance the War Department’s efforts to evaluate and accelerate new, cost-effective strike options for conventional deterrence.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth previously discussed the arms race with China. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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“These integration contracts confirm that affordability and speed are critical to modern deterrence,” Castelion CEO Bryon Hargis wrote in a statement. “Castelion is an industry leader in designing for manufacturability and rapid iteration, allowing the War Department to move from concept to capability more quickly.”
“Blackbeard” is Castelion’s first long-range hypersonic weapon, designed for mass production and rapid deployment once integration and testing is complete.
The company announced on Friday that the Ministry of War had awarded the new contracts. (Reuters/Al Drago, File/Reuters Photos)
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The system uses integrated propulsion and guidance technology to deliver high performance at a fraction of the cost of older weapons, which the company says supports the War Department’s goal of creating a large-scale, credible non-nuclear deterrent.
Founded just three years ago, Castelion is headquartered in Torrance, California, with additional facilities in Texas.
The company’s first weapons system, ‘Blackbeard’, went from a ‘blank design’ to more than twenty developmental test flights in less than 18 months, which Castelion says demonstrates its leadership in rapid, scalable weapons development.
The new tech startup was less than a decade old at the time of the Pentagon deal. (iStock / iStock)
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In May, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was working to stay ahead of China amid an arms race with the communist country and adversaries such as Russia and Iran.
‘We don’t want that conflict. You showed how big they are,” Hegseth said. “President [Donald] Trump has a great relationship with Xi Jinping – we think that’s a good thing. … We are the ones in the background trying to say that we always prefer to resolve this peacefully. But we are going to do that by being as strong as possible and being able to face any threat.”
