US Air Force Funds Blackbeard Hypersonic Missile Integration on F-16, Its Most Numerous Fighter

Castelion has received an Air Force Research Laboratory contract modification to begin integrating its Blackbeard hypersonic missile onto the F-16 Fighting Falcon, extending development work already involving the Navy and Army. Blackbeard is a solid-rocket strike weapon designed to exceed Mach 5 while maneuvering within the atmosphere, with motors and flight computers manufactured in-house. The company did not disclose the modification's value, the integration timetable or a first F-16 launch date. The award funds integration activities and does not establish an Air Force procurement commitment or an operationally fielded F-16 hypersonic capability.