US Firm Castelion to Integrate Blackbeard Hypersonic Missile on F-16s
US firm Castelion announced on 26 October that its contract with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has been expanded to cover integration of the Blackbeard hypersonic missile on F-16 fighters. The value of the modification, its duration and the date of the first F-16 test were not disclosed.
What Changed
According to Castelion, AFRL issued a contract modification to existing work that adds the F-16 as a platform. The company thanked the Air Force for its trust. The Aviationist says the change follows a September increase that raised the AFRL contract from $20.9 million to $37.2 million.
The Navy Programme
Blackbeard’s lead customer is the US Navy: in April 2026 it awarded Castelion a $105 million contract for integration on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, covering hardware and software integration, system safety and airworthiness certification, and flight testing, with early operational capability targeted for 2027. CEO Bryon Hargis says Blackbeard was engineered from day one for the production line.
Not Disclosed
The value and schedule of the F-16 work, whether it will lead to an operational capability or remain research and demonstration, and any decision to buy Blackbeard for operational F-16 units were not disclosed. The Aviationist’s article also gives no speed, range or warhead for the missile, so this report omits those. Sources differ in framing: some outlets call the F-16 work a new contract, most call it a modification of existing work.
