Castelion

What Castelion does

Castelion is a U.S. defense technology company founded in late 2022 that designs, tests, and manufactures hypersonic strike weapons, principally the Blackbeard hypersonic missile system, for exclusive sale to U.S. military services. Blackbeard is a solid rocket-powered hypersonic weapon with Mach 5+ speed and a 497-mile range, engineered from inception for industrial-rate production at an approximate unit cost of $384,000—a fraction of legacy hypersonic system costs. The weapon is designed for multi-platform integration including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II, U.S. Army HIMARS ground launchers, and, via partnership with Saronic Technologies, Saronic's Marauder unmanned surface vessel.

Core technology is vertically integrated and includes internally developed 12-inch solid rocket motors (with in-house propellant mixing and motor firing), a hardware-isolated real-time flight computer with cryptographic acceleration, thermal protection materials for hypersonic flight environments, and a modular palletized launcher system designed for rapid deployment without dedicated platforms. This vertical integration is the company's central cost and schedule control mechanism. By mid-2026, Castelion had completed over 25 flight tests in under 2.5 years, validating rocket motors, control systems, and mission software, and had moved a hypersonic test vehicle from blank-sheet design to flight-ready in under four months.

The business model is direct contracting with the U.S. Department of Defense through SBIR Phase II/III awards, firm-fixed-price delivery orders, and multi-year framework agreements. Castelion generates revenue exclusively from hardware sales to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and the Department of War, with no commercial or foreign customer base. A May 2026 DoW framework agreement guarantees a minimum of 500 Blackbeard missiles annually with a pathway to thousands, and the Navy MACE program plans procurement of 3,510 units through 2031. The company is scaling production through Project Ranger, a 1,000-acre purpose-built hypersonic manufacturing campus in Sandoval County, New Mexico, backed by $220M+ of private investment, targeting production-ready operations by end of 2026. Castelion has raised approximately $464M+ across seed, Series A, and Series B rounds from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Altimeter Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and others, reaching a $2.8B post-Series A valuation, and is led by co-founders Bryon Hargis (CEO), Sean Pitt (COO), and Andrew Kreitz (CFO)—all former SpaceX engineers.

Name

Castelion

Legal name

Castelion Corporation

Website

https://www.castelion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Castelion is a U.S. defense technology company that designs, tests, and manufactures the Blackbeard hypersonic strike missile for exclusive sale to the U.S. Department of Defense, leveraging vertically integrated propulsion and a 1,000-acre purpose-built manufacturing campus to deliver low-cost, mass-producible weapons.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hypersonic Strike Weapons / Defense Manufacturing

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (3364)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Hypersonic Systems (Weapons & Defense) (IMABAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tactical & Strategic Missile Systems (IMABAHAB), Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Electronics for Weapons (IMABAGAH), Rocket Motors, Propellants & Warhead Integration (IMABAHAC)

Keywords

• Hypersonic strike weapons
• Solid rocket propulsion
• Defense manufacturing systems
• Military missile development
• Vertically integrated defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Torrance

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. U.S. Government Defense Contracts: Castelion generates revenue through competitive government contracts with the Department of Defense. Contracts include SBIR Phase III awards, firm-fixed-price delivery orders, and multi-year framework agreements. Revenue stream is characterized by large contract values ($23.4M to $105M+) with defined delivery milestones and production targets.
2. Production Framework Agreements: Multi-year production agreements with Department of War guaranteeing minimum production volumes (500 missiles annually) with pathway to purchase thousands more. Provides revenue visibility and production scaling commitments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Castelion designs, develops, tests, and manufactures the Blackbeard hypersonic strike missile—a low-cost (~$384,000 per unit), mass-producible, solid rocket-propelled weapon capable of Mach 5+ speeds with a 497-mile range. The Blackbeard system is engineered from inception for industrial-rate production and integrates with air (F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35C), ground (HIMARS), naval, and unmanned surface vessel launch platforms. Castelion also operates Project Ranger, a 1,000-acre dedicated hypersonic manufacturing campus in New Mexico, plus propulsion production in Midland, TX.

Product overview

Castelion is a defense technology company that designs, tests, and manufactures hypersonic strike weapons. The company's primary product is the Blackbeard hypersonic missile system—a low-cost, mass-producible weapon designed for rapid deployment at scale. Blackbeard is produced at the Project Ranger manufacturing campus and integrates with multiple U.S. military platforms including F/A-18 fighter jets, HIMARS ground launchers, and autonomous surface vessels. The company operates from Torrance, California with manufacturing in New Mexico and Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blackbeard Hypersonic Strike Missile Low-cost, mass-producible hypersonic strike missile capable of Mach 5+ speeds with a 497-mile range, engineered from inception for industrial-rate output at approximately $384,000 per unit. Integrates with multiple launch platforms including aircraft (F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II), ground-based HIMARS launchers, naval platforms, and unmanned surface vessels. Designed and manufactured by Castelion for U.S. Department of Defense customers (Navy, Army, Air Force, Department of War).

Quantifiable outcome

• 25+ flight tests completed in under 2.5 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Saronic TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026Partnership to integrate Blackbeard hypersonic missile with Saronic's Marauder Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) for maritime hypersonic launch demonstration planned for 2027. Marks first integration of autonomous surface vessels with hypersonics. Both companies founded in late 2022 and pursuing volume-production strategies for distributed hypersonic strike capabilities.
• ManufacturosupportingTechnology or Integration · 21 January 2026Manufacturing software platform partnership to establish digital production system for scalable and traceable weapons manufacturing. Supports rapid iteration, configuration control, and complete build history for defense production.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Anduril Industries: Venture-backed defense-tech prime with a similar Silicon Valley hardware development model. Anduril has acquired hypersonic-adjacent companies (e.g., Area-I, Stratos) and competes with Castelion for DoD mindshare and capital in the new-generation defense technology landscape.
• Lockheed Martin: Incumbent prime developing the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) for the U.S. Army and Dark Eagle for the Navy. Direct competitor in the hypersonic strike category with deeper DoD relationships and existing production programs.
• RTX (Raytheon): Incumbent prime producing the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) and scramjet propulsion. Castelion competes head-to-head with Raytheon for Air Force and Navy hypersonic strike awards.
• Northrop Grumman: Incumbent prime with hypersonic programs and the provider of HIMARS launchers that Castelion's Blackbeard is integrating with. Competitor for hypersonic production dollars and critical platform integrator for ground-launch use cases.
• L3Harris Technologies: Incumbent defense prime in seekers, avionics, and guidance systems—the same subsystems Castelion is vertically integrating in-house. Potential supplier or competitor depending on program structure.

Direct peers

• Saronic Technologies: Founded in late 2022 alongside Castelion by similarly pedigreed founders and pursuing a volume-production strategy for autonomous surface vessels. Castelion's strategic partner for USV-launched hypersonics, Saronic is both a partner and a comparable Silicon Valley defense hardware startup.
• Shield AI: Venture-backed defense-tech company building autonomous systems (drones) for DoD, sharing the same funding ecosystem (a16z, Lightspeed) and competing for DoD contract dollars alongside Castelion as a fellow new-generation defense hardware prime.
• Hadrian: Defense-manufacturing startup applying software-driven, high-volume production to precision components. Shares Castelion's thesis of rebuilding domestic defense industrial base with Silicon Valley capital and manufacturing rigor.
• Skydio: U.S.-based defense and commercial drone manufacturer built around rapid hardware iteration and vertical integration. Comparable in product DNA (hardware-rich, rapidly iterated, US-sourced) and in capturing share from legacy primes in a defense segment.

Emerging players

• Stratolaunch: Reusable hypersonic test platform provider enabling rapid flight testing of hypersonic vehicles. Adjacent to Castelion's mission of accelerating hypersonic development and a possible test-range partner or systems collaborator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/castelioncorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/castelion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds14 records

Investors21 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Castelion