The U.S. plans to test the Blackbeard hypersonic missile from an F/A-18 Hornet after awarding a Navy development contract in February 2026.
The United States is preparing to test a new hypersonic missile that could dramatically shorten the time enemy defenses have to react. In February 2026, the U.S. Navy awarded a contract supporting development and flight trials of the Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon.
The missile is expected to be tested from an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet, marking an important step in the effort to field faster long-range strike systems.On March 3, defense startup Castelion confirmed to Axios that the air-launched version of its Blackbeard missile could fly aboard the F/A-18 in the near future. The test would represent the first known attempt to integrate the weapon with a carrier-capable tactical aircraft.The Blackbeard program aims to develop a missile capable of traveling at hypersonic speeds, meaning above Mach 5. Such speeds drastically reduce the time available for enemy air defense systems to detect, track, and intercept incoming attacks.Navy contract funds prototype developmentThe integration effort follows a $49.9 million firm-fixed-price contract awarded by the U.S. Navy on February 25, 2026. The agreement funds prototype development, flight testing, and early operational capability for the Blackbeard missile.Work will take place mainly in Torrance, California, and the project is expected to continue through November 2027. The contract falls under a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III program focused on creating lower-cost and highly manufacturable long-range strike weapons.Funding comes from the Navy’s fiscal year 2026 research, development, test, and evaluation budget. The contracting activity is managed by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, New Jersey.Castelion, founded in 2022 by former aerospace engineers, is pursuing a strategy focused on rapid development and mass production. The Blackbeard missile uses vertically integrated propulsion and guidance systems to simplify manufacturing and speed up development cycles.Flight tests build toward hypersonic capabilityDevelopment work on the missile has already included more than twenty experimental flight trials. These tests examined propulsion systems, aerodynamic stability, flight controls, onboard computing, and thermal protection needed for sustained high-speed flight.A recent flight test occurred near Mojave, California, in October, followed by another launch at Dugway Proving Ground in November 2025. These trials help engineers refine propulsion performance, control software, and structural durability.Early test flights reportedly reached speeds around Mach 4, or roughly 3,040 miles per hour. Castelion expects the missile to exceed Mach 5 in future campaigns as development continues.The Blackbeard missile is also being evaluated for ground launch. In that configuration, it could be fired from the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System using a modified munition pod compatible with existing launchers.The system is designed to deliver seeker-based precision strikes against moving or hardened targets while remaining compatible with current fire control systems.Range and role between rocket artillery and strategic weaponsBlackbeard is expected to reach ranges of up to 497 miles. This places it between conventional rocket artillery and larger strategic hypersonic systems such as the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon.The missile is designed to deliver about 80 percent of the planned capability of the Precision Strike Missile Increment 4 while remaining significantly less expensive to produce.To support large-scale manufacturing, Castelion has launched Project Ranger, a 1,000-acre production campus in Rio Rancho near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Plans call for twenty-one industrial buildings dedicated to propulsion production, integration, and final assembly.The company expects the site to become the largest dedicated hypersonic missile production complex in the United States. The facility could become operational by the end of 2026 and eventually produce several thousand Blackbeard missiles annually.F/A-18 integration could expand strike rangeTesting the missile from the F/A-18 Hornet could significantly expand the aircraft’s strike capabilities. The fighter already carries air-to-air missiles, guided bombs, and anti-ship weapons, but most operate at subsonic or supersonic speeds.A hypersonic missile traveling above Mach 5 would dramatically reduce the reaction time for enemy defenses. Combined with a range of several hundred miles, the weapon could allow the aircraft to strike targets from greater stand-off distances.
Castelion Corporation F/A-18 Hornet Missile Missile Launch Missile Launcher US Navy
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