The US Navy has awarded Castelion a $105 million contract to integrate the Blackbeard hypersonic missile with the F/A-18. Designed as a long-range, high-speed weapon, it offers improved survivability and rapid response against modern air defenses. It is part of the MACE program, which aims to procure thousands of affordable hypersonic missiles. Compared to costly systems like LRASM, Blackbeard is significantly cheaper, enabling large-scale deployment and operational flexibility.
