Interestingly, the amount of money the Army has promised to the Castelion Corporation is far less than what the other branches are spending on their own hypersonic weapons systems.
The United States Army is quietly winning the practical innovation award as it marches forward with its quest to make a reliable hypersonic weapon. For years, the United States has lagged behind the Chinese and Russians—and even the Iranians and North Koreans!—in developing a reliable arsenal of hypersonic weapons.
This has created a great many strategic headaches for US forces forward deployed in hotly contested regions around the periphery of Eurasia and in the Middle East.
The Blackbeard Missile Is Simple and Effective
One such hypersonic weapon that the Army is developing that is both innovative and affordable is the Blackbeard Ground Launch effort. Belonging to a three-year-old startup by former SpaceX engineers known as the Castelion Corporation, the weapon is designed to be fired from the Army’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), making it extremely useful on the modern battlefield.
The Army also plans for the Blackbeard to be fired from its still-developing Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) platforms. In fact, the Blackbeard is part of the ecosystem of hypersonic systems deriving from their main Dark Eagle hypersonic weapon system. The Blackbeard, however, is cheaper and easier to mass produce than the proposed Dark Eagle system, meaning it can—and likely will—be deployed before any other Army hypersonic weapon.
The Blackbeard is designed to travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5, making it highly effective for rapid precision strikes against time-sensitive, mobile, or hardened targets. Its seeker-based terminal guidance system allows it to engage moving or concealed targets, even in contested or degraded environments.
The missile’s range remains classified, but the Army is classifying Blackbeard as a medium-range missile, with estimates suggesting a range exceeding 621 miles. It is designed to engage both land and sea targets, meaning this system will be a key countermeasure against several of America’s rivals—notably China, which has spent the last decade arraying both advanced hypersonic weapons along with anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) platforms all along the South China Sea.
For the United States Navy and Air Force to have any chance at projecting US military power into these contested regions, the A2/AD and hypersonic threats must be dealt with from over the horizon. And that’s where the Army’s hypersonic weapons program, including the Blackbeard, comes into play.
The Blackbeard’s Budget Is Surprisingly Modest
Interestingly, the amount of money the Army has promised to the Castelion Corporation is far less than what the other branches are spending on their own hypersonic weapons systems. For just $25 million in Fiscal Year 2026, the Army is supporting the Blackbeard’s transition into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. This funding will cover software validation, system flight tests, and integration of the All Up Round and Canister (AUR+C) into launch platforms.
Blackbeard’s first prototype flew on March 9, 2024, at a California test site, followed by multiple tests demonstrating reliability and accuracy. From there, in December 2024, Blackbeard had a successful end-to-end flight test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Next year, the Army plans for a proof-of-concept fixed-fin test using an adapted air-launched variant. A year later, in 2027, it will hold a live-fire demonstration of the ground-launched configuration. In 2028, initial operational deliveries to field units will commence.
The Army has historical success in developing real hypersonic weapons en masse in their grasp. One should hope—for everyone’s sake—that the Army can achieve this impressive milestone on time and under budget.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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