U.S. defence start-up Castelion has secured contracts to integrate its Blackbeard hypersonic weapon with Army and Navy systems, marking a step toward global deployment of next-generation strike missiles.
Castelion said on Friday it will work with the U.S. Army to mount the Blackbeard hypersonic strike system onto platforms such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which has seen extensive use in Ukraine.
The company also confirmed an agreement with the U.S. Navy, though terms of both contracts were not disclosed.
The move comes amid heightened competition with China and Russia to develop manoeuvrable hypersonic missiles capable of evading current air defences.
Hypersonic weapons travel at more than five times the speed of sound in the upper atmosphere and can alter direction mid-flight.
Their development has become a strategic priority for the U.S. military, which is seeking both capability and affordability.
Blackbeard is Castelion’s first hypersonic weapon system and is designed for mass production, with a target cost in the “hundreds of thousands of dollars” per unit.
The company said it aims to produce thousands annually at full-scale capacity — a marked shift from the traditionally high-cost, low-volume models of previous programmes.
President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 budget earmarks $25 million for hypersonic integration efforts, though the plan has yet to be enacted by Congress.
U.S. firms including Stratolaunch, Raytheon (a unit of RTX), and Lockheed Martin are also racing to bring hypersonic capabilities into service.
The Pentagon views the diversification and expansion of these technologies as vital to maintaining strategic deterrence.
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Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, is visiting China on Tuesday, 13 January, in his first trip to the country since 2017, as the two sides seek to stabilise long-strained relations.
The U.S. will invest $115 million in counter-drone measures to bolster security around the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th Anniversary celebrations, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday, the latest sign of governments stepping up drone defences.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 13th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Japan and South Korea have held high-level talks aimed at strengthening security cooperation and deepening economic ties, against a backdrop of rising tensions in East Asia.
Russian forces launched what Ukrainian officials described as the most intense wave of missile attacks so far this year on Ukraine’s two largest cities early on Tuesday, killing at least four people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
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