The U.S. Navy has placed a production order worth up to $200 million for Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic missile. Could this weapon give F/A-18 Super Hornets the long-range striking power America’s aircraft carriers need in the Pacific? In this FIRM documentary, we examine Blackbeard’s planned integration with carrier aircraft, its intended maritime and land-attack missions, and why affordability and missile quantity could matter as much as hypersonic speed. We explore the carrier’s range problem, China’s long-range anti-ship missiles, and Castelion’s plans to manufacture weapons at scale. We also examine what remains unproven—from targeting moving warships to carrier certification, production capacity, and actual costs.
Source: The U.S. Navy Just Ordered a Cheap Hypersonic Missile for Its Carriers
