Overview
- The Navy awarded about $105 million to integrate Castelion’s Blackbeard on F/A-18s, funding flight tests and the carrier safety work needed for storage, loading, and carriage at sea.
- Budget plans outline an initial buy of 353 missiles in fiscal 2027 for $156 million, with a ramp to roughly 4,500 air-launched rounds through 2031 at about $384,000 each, pending congressional approval.
- Program documents establish MACE as the Navy’s primary affordable hypersonic option for aviation, with early operational capability targeted in 2027 after flight testing and airworthiness certification.
- Planned launch platforms include the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the F-35C, which can carry up to four Blackbeard missiles inside its bays to preserve a low radar profile.
- Castelion says it is building a $250 million New Mexico campus, called Project Ranger, to reach output of thousands of missiles a year by the end of next year.