U.S. Air Force joins Navy in funding Castelion hypersonic missile maker

The Air Force Research Laboratory added $16.4 million to a contract with Castelion, joining the Navy in funding the company’s hypersonic-weapons development. Castelion is pursuing Blackbeard as a lower-cost, rapidly producible strike missile, and the Navy separately awarded the startup a $200 million agreement for continued development. Cross-service investment broadens the potential customer base and supports flight testing, manufacturing scale-up and integration under operational conditions, reflecting Pentagon demand for hypersonic weapons that can be bought in larger numbers than traditional exquisite systems.