Castelion has raised $1 billion to accelerate production of its Blackbeard hypersonic missile.
Castelion has raised $1 billion to accelerate production of its Blackbeard hypersonic missile, expanding what the company says is the largest dedicated hypersonic manufacturing campus in the US.
The California-based defense startup said the financing values the company at $13 billion and combines $800 million in equity with $250 million in committed revolving credit financing.
Rather than focusing on high-end, low-volume missiles, Castelion is positioning Blackbeard as a hypersonic strike weapon designed to be manufactured at significantly lower cost.
A large portion of the new funding will expand production capacity at Project Ranger, Castelion’s 1,000-acre (404-hectare) manufacturing campus in Sandoval County, New Mexico.
Beyond Blackbeard, Castelion said it will use the funding to develop a longer-range precision strike weapon using the same manufacturing approach, as well as lower-cost defensive missile systems intended to increase magazine depth for air and missile defense missions.
“Deterrence depends on unapologetic American strength; highly capable weapon systems that adversaries fear produced in quantities they can’t imagine at a price taxpayers can afford,” Castelion CEO Bryon Hargis said.
US Pushes Lower-Cost Hypersonic Weapons
Castelion’s expansion aligns with a broader US effort to field hypersonic weapons that are less expensive and easier to manufacture in large numbers.
In August, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency asked industry to help design a next-generation hypersonic cruise missile, launching an effort to build and flight-test an integrated demonstrator that combines high performance with affordable manufacturing.
The same month, Lockheed Martin and Albany Engineered Composites partnered to speed mass production of hypersonic weapons by combining systems integration with advanced 3D weaving technology for composite structures.
The push follows an October 2025 contract awarded to startup Castelion to integrate its low-cost Blackbeard hypersonic weapon with US Army and Navy platforms for live-fire demonstrations and future operational use.
