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Blackbeard Hypersonic Missile Seen Flying On F/A-18 Super Hornet For The First Time
The U.S. Navy has released the first footage of Castelion's Blackbeard hypersonic missile flying externally on an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet during testing. The weapon is being developed under the Multi-Mission Affordable Capacity Effector program as a lower-cost, rapidly producible standoff missile, with anti-ship strike among its intended roles. The Navy wants an early operational capability by 2028 or sooner and has awarded $43.65 million for a first production lot of 444 rounds. A separate framework could support purchases of up to 12,000 Blackbeards over five years.