US Navy invests $200M in Blackbeard hypersonic missiles for carrier fighters

The US Navy awarded $200M to Castelion for additional Blackbeard low-cost hypersonic missiles, supplementing 50 early operational capability units funded in June. The contract includes $43M for 444 missiles, indicating a rapid scale-up of a new capability. This signals accelerated fielding of carrier-based hypersonic weapons, potentially altering naval strike dynamics.