Castelion Builds Largest US Hypersonic Factory to Make Thousands of Blackbeards a Year
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 13
Castelion Builds Largest US Hypersonic Factory to Make Thousands of Blackbeards a Year
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 13
Summary
Castelion has started building Project Ranger, which it says will be the largest dedicated U.S. hypersonic-weapon factory and will turn out thousands of Blackbeard missiles annually.
Blackbeard is pitched as a mass-producible hypersonic weapon costing under $500,000 each, far below Pentagon estimates of more than $40 million for the Army’s Dark Eagle and about $70 million for Navy hypersonic missiles on Zumwalt destroyers.
The Army and Navy are already backing the program, with planned integrations for F/A-18 Super Hornets, HIMARS and unmanned surface vessels as the U.S. seeks a broader missile mix while refilling stockpiles.
Hypersonic weapons can fly at least five times the speed of sound and strike from roughly 1,725 miles in 15-30 minutes, but analysts warn maneuverability, cost and launch misinterpretation still pose operational and strategic risks.
Rocket Lab and other firms are also pushing cheaper development paths, including 12 hypersonic-related tests this year, as the Pentagon tries to scale a capability it has never used in combat.
With hypersonic missiles costing up to $70 million each, could the Pentagon's reliance on expensive, delayed weapons become a critical strategic vulnerability?
Can agile defense startups truly deliver mass-produced hypersonic weapons, or will they face the same crippling bottlenecks as traditional military contractors?
How will the introduction of sub-$500,000 hypersonic missiles by private startups fundamentally disrupt global military deterrence and modern warfare tactics?