A game changing missile is taking shape.
The air-launched variant of Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic strike missile for the U.S. Navy has now, at least, undergone test loading onto an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Castelion and the Navy are targeting a limited early operational capability for the lower-cost missile no later than August 2028.
The test loading represents an important step toward integrating the weapon with the Navy’s carrier-based fighter fleet.
The U.S. Navy is acquiring Blackbeard through its Multi-Mission Affordable Capacity Effector, or MACE, program, which is intended to provide a more affordable means of delivering increased long-range strike capacity.
Castelion received a $105 million contract award from the Navy for the program. The company has stated that a portion of the funding will support “completing the hardware and software integration of Blackbeard onto the F/A-18E/F airframe.”
The planned integration would provide the Super Hornet with an additional strike option while advancing the US Navy’s broader effort to field larger quantities of capable, lower-cost weapons.
Blackbeard hold a lot of promise, let’s dissect this.
Source: Defense Updates
