Army eyes new program, test with Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic missile in 2026

WASHINGTON — As the US Army pushes to find new, non-traditional industry partners, it is planning to test out a developmental hypersonic round from defense startup Castelion that can be launched from a future autonomous launcher, according to budget documents and officials.

For months, service officials — including Alex Miller, the Army Chief’s chief technology officer — have been teasing a future Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) variant that could “double the range” of the baseline weapon but at a cheaper price point. Recently published fiscal 2026 budget documents shed light on that plan, dubbed HX3, under which the service said it plans to test Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic missile as a way to hit “time sensitive moving targets and hardened targets” at a “much-reduced cost per missile than currently exists in the Army inventory.” 

“Blackbeard GL [Ground Launch] is not a replacement to the Long Range Hypersonic Weapons (LRHW) as it will not reach similar velocities nor range,” the service wrote. “The goal of Blackbeard GL is to deliver approximately 80 (percent) of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 4 capability at a significantly reduced cost.”

Castelion Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer Sean Pitt confirmed that the company is developing Blackbeard but referred other questions about the Army’s plan back to the service.

In 2023, the service tapped a Lockheed Martin team and a Raytheon Technologies-Northrop Grumman team to work on competing PrSM Inc 4 designs for a round that can fly more than 1,000 km, possibly doubling the range of the baseline configuration. Meanwhile, the service began rolling out plans to design a new autonomous launcher to pair with what it was calling PrSM Inc 5 — possibly this new HX3/Blackbeard missile.

While Army documents do not detail how the HX3 project fits into the PrSM portfolio, they do shed light on plans to test out and, possibly, acquire Blackbeard.

A requirement for Blackbeard, they note, was approved in May 2025 when Army senior leaders directed the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to move ahead with the new Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) effort that includes medium and heavy variants.

While the heavy version of the launcher may be designed to fire either the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile or the Patriot Advanced Capabilities Three Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors, the smaller CAML-M will be based around a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle and use a launcher compatible with Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Family of Munitions and/or the new Indirect Fire Protection Capability with AIM-9X interceptors.

“Blackbeard GL is a companion development to the Army’s Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) effort which holds the potential to replace the base HIMARS [High Mobility Artillery Rocket System] launcher platform amongst other launchers,” the Army wrote. “While envisioned as a primary munition for CAML, Blackbeard GL is designed to be compatible with existing HIMARS platforms as an interim solution.”

Army leaders are looking to spend $25 million in FY26 on Blackbeard development with plans for two phases. In the first phase, the company will deliver a “prototype proof-of-concept” that will be used in a demonstration sometime between January and March 2026. If that goes well, the company will then be tasked with delivering 10 minimum viable product prototypes for flight testing from a M142 HIMARS towards the end of FY26.

Depending on how those tests and subsequent development goes, the service said it could begin receiving Blackbeard missiles by early FY28. 

While Pitt and Bryon Hargis — the company’s CEO and cofounder — declined to discuss Army plans with Blackbeard or its associated price tag, they did speak more broadly with Breaking Defense about plans to break into the defense sector and compete against traditional primes.

Both founders, hailing from SpaceX, launched Castelion in 2022 with the aim of developing missiles at a quicker clip and lower price point. Part of that calculus, the duo explained, is relying on non-traditional supply bases to cut down the lead time on items, while also vertically integrating the design and production of solid rocket motors, seekers, control actuation systems and flight computers.

“All we’re really doing is bringing back what used to work for America, like in the Apollo era, where you make an initial design over the course of a few months, analyze what you can, actually build it, and test it,” Hargis said on Tuesday. “Then, when you identify places where your assumptions or models were wrong … you make changes, ground your models in the real-world test results, and get back into testing immediately. Pace of learning and availability of hardware is the key to fast progress.” 

“Then if we can build this better, faster, cheaper, both sides should be rewarded for that,” he later added.