The U.S. Navy has awarded defence technology company Castelion up to $200 million to produce its Blackbeard hypersonic missile for carrier-based fighter jets.
The order covers the manufacture, assembly, testing and delivery of an initial batch of missiles, Castelion said. It comes after the Navy ordered 50 Blackbeards for early operational use in June.
The Navy is developing Blackbeard as a long-range strike weapon for carrier aircraft. It is also looking for lower-cost missiles that can increase the number of weapons available to its forces.
Blackbeard is launched from aircraft and can be used against targets on land and at sea. The Navy says it will give carrier-based fighters another long-range strike option against advanced air-defence systems.
The latest order was issued by the Navy’s rapid capabilities office and Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation office through a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III production delivery order.
The Navy selected Blackbeard for its Multimission Affordable Capacity Effector (MACE) programme
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