Castelion announced U.S. Army and Navy integration awards for its Blackbeard ground-launched hypersonic family and said it will conduct live-fire demonstrations to accelerate adoption. The program is organized as a two-phase Middle Tier Acquisition rapid-prototype effort aimed at delivering lower-cost, mass-producible hypersonic rounds compatible with HIMARS.
The service contracts fund integration of Blackbeard on operational platforms and support upcoming live tests to validate performance and speed deployment of affordable long-range conventional deterrence. Castelion says Blackbeard was designed for mass production and has flown more than 20 developmental flights, putting it on a fast track from integration to field trials.
Classified in the Army’s FY2026 budget as “HX3, All Up Round and Canister,” Blackbeard is described as a seeker-equipped precision strike weapon for time-sensitive moving targets and hardened sites. The near-term path uses modified MLRS family pods and the M142 HIMARS fire-control system for demonstrations while platform-specific launch hardware is finalized.
