--- title: "Castelion puts a $450,000 hypersonic missile under a Super Hornet's wing" description: "The ex-SpaceX startup published its missile on a Navy Super Hornet and claims 80% of Lockheed's PrSM capability at a much lower price. The order trail says the Pentagon believes it." publisher: "The Inference" section: "Robotics & Defense" published: 2026-11-06T20:06:15.865Z modified: 2026-11-06T20:06:15.865Z canonical: https://theinference.org/article/castelion-puts-a-450-000-hypersonic-missile-under-a-super-hornet-s-wing language: en keywords: "Defense, Hypersonic Missiles, Navy, Startups, Weapons" --- # Castelion puts a $450,000 hypersonic missile under a Super Hornet's wing > The ex-SpaceX startup published its missile on a Navy Super Hornet and claims 80% of Lockheed's PrSM capability at a much lower price. The order trail says the Pentagon believes it. [Castelion](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/castelion), the Torrance, California missile startup founded in 2022 by three former [SpaceX](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/spacex) executives, [published a photograph on November 2](https://defence-industry.eu/castelion-shows-blackbeard-hypersonic-missile-mounted-on-a-u-s-navy-f-a-18f-super-hornet/) of its Blackbeard hypersonic missile hanging under the wing of a U.S [1]. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet [1]. The shot was taken October 28 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River during a visit by the Navy's top admiral, Chief of Naval Operations Adm [1][2]. Daryl Caudle, at the squadron that runs the service's weapons testing [1][2]. Blackbeard has [completed flight tests on Super Hornets](https://news.usni.org/2026/10/07/super-hornets-sortie-with-blackbeard-missiles-in-latest-test), carrying two unarmed rounds on a September 18 sortie, but the Navy has announced no date for a live launch [2][3]. ## The claim nobody has priced against the primes With the photo came a price signal: Castelion says Blackbeard is intended to deliver "80% of the capability of the PrSM Inc [1]. 4 missile" at a substantially lower price [1]. PrSM, the Precision Strike Missile, is [Lockheed Martin](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/lockheed-martin)'s Army program, the 1,000-km round fired from HIMARS and M270 launchers [6]. In September the Army moved PrSM Increment 2 into production with an [indefinite-delivery contract worth up to $1.2 billion](https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2026/09/22/lockheed-martin-awarded-12-billion-army-contract-for-prsm-missiles/) to Lockheed [6]. A ground-launched Blackbeard for those same launchers would undercut that price directly: if the Navy pays about $450,000 a round and Lockheed's program is measured in billion-dollar production contracts, the primes must either defend a price umbrella the Navy has already stopped paying or match a startup's cost structure [6]. ![A Blackbeard missile launches from a ground launcher in the desert](https://storage.googleapis.com/theinference-public/img/011b646e6acf2f0e.webp) *Castelion has shown a ground-launched Blackbeard from an HIMARS-type launcher, the route that would put it in direct competition with Lockheed Martin's PrSM. (Courtesy of Castelion)* Castelion is also adapting Blackbeard for the Air Force's F-16 under an [Air Force Research Laboratory contract](https://www.axios.com/2026/11/03/f16-hypersonic-blackbeard-missile-castelion), with the F-35A named as a potential launcher [1][5]. ## From prototype to 444 rounds in five months *Chart: **Castelion's Blackbeard awards grew from $105M to $200M in five months** Column chart of Castelion Blackbeard award values in US$ millions: $105 million April 2026, $23.4 million June 2026, up to $200 million September 2026.* *Navy agreement and order values in US$ millions: $105M April integration award; $23.4M June pre-production buy (about $468,000 per round); up to $200M September production order for 444 missiles (about $450,000 per round). Sources: Interesting Engineering [2], USNI News [7]. [2][7]* The Navy's September production order covers 444 missiles for up to $200 million, about $450,000 a round, after 50 pre-production rounds in June at roughly $468,000 each [2]. [Fortune reported](https://ua.news/en/technologies/vms-ssha-uklali-z-castelion-kontrakt-do-200-mln-na-raketu-blackbeard-fortune) the missile could cost under $500,000, and the Pentagon has sketched a framework for at least 500 missiles a year and plans to seek funding for more than 12,000 units over five years [3]. ## What a photograph cannot show The caution stands: no live launch from a Super Hornet has been announced, and every figure here is an order or a company claim, not fielded capability [2]. Air Force officials also put that service's [munitions supply gap at $14 billion](https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/air-force-association/page/16/), so the buyer is squeezed too [4]. Watch the Army's PrSM down-select: a cheap round that meets 80% of the requirement forces Lockheed, RTX, [Anduril](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/anduril) and [Mach Industries](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/mach-industries) to reprice, and Lockheed's Dark Eagle is reportedly three years behind schedule [3]. ## Takeaway Castelion's Super Hornet photo is marketing, but the Navy's five-month climb from a $105 million integration award to a $200 million order for 444 rounds at about $450,000 each shows the Pentagon paying the startup's price; the test is the Army's PrSM down-select, where an 80%-capability, cheaper round would force Lockheed, RTX, Anduril and Mach Industries to reprice. ## Sources 1. [Defence Industry Europe, Castelion shows Blackbeard hypersonic missile mounted on a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet, 6 November 2026](https://defence-industry.eu/castelion-shows-blackbeard-hypersonic-missile-mounted-on-a-u-s-navy-f-a-18f-super-hornet/) 2. [Interesting Engineering, 1,200-mph US Navy Super Hornets to pack four Mach 5+ hypersonic Blackbeard missiles, 5 November 2026](https://interestingengineering.com/military/blackbeard-hypersonic-missile-super-hornet-integration) 3. [UA.News (citing Fortune), US Navy awards Castelion contract worth up to $200 million for Blackbeard missile, 31 October 2026](https://ua.news/en/technologies/vms-ssha-uklali-z-castelion-kontrakt-do-200-mln-na-raketu-blackbeard-fortune) 4. [Defense News, US Air Force has a $14 billion supply hole, service officials say; US Navy awards defense startup $200 million for Blackbeard, 6 November 2026](https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/air-force-association/page/16/) 5. [Axios, F-16s could soon be armed with Castelion's hypersonic missile, 3 November 2026](https://www.axios.com/2026/11/03/f16-hypersonic-blackbeard-missile-castelion) 6. [Forbes, Lockheed Martin Awarded $1.2 Billion Army Contract For PrSM Missiles, 22 September 2026](https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2026/09/22/lockheed-martin-awarded-12-billion-army-contract-for-prsm-missiles/) 7. [USNI News, Super Hornets Sortie with Blackbeard Missiles in Latest Test, 7 October 2026](https://news.usni.org/2026/10/07/super-hornets-sortie-with-blackbeard-missiles-in-latest-test) --- Castelion puts a $450,000 hypersonic missile under a Super Hornet's wing — The Inference. Canonical: https://theinference.org/article/castelion-puts-a-450-000-hypersonic-missile-under-a-super-hornet-s-wing