# Castelion

> Castelion is a Torrance-based defense manufacturer developing Blackbeard, a low-cost hypersonic strike missile, for U.S. military customers. Founded by three SpaceX alumni in 2022, it combines in-house hardware development, frequent flight testing and investment in manufacturing capacity to pursue affordable production at scale.

- **Founded:** 2022
- **Headquarters:** Torrance, United States
- **Founders:** Bryon Hargis (Co-Founder and CEO), Sean Pitt (Co-Founder and COO), Andrew Kreitz (Co-Founder and CFO)
- **Products:** Blackbeard, Blackbeard GL, Internally developed subsystems, Longer-range strike and defensive systems
- **Notable:** First prototype flight in March 2024., More than 20 development flight tests reported in 2025., Project Ranger groundbreaking in January 2026.

## Products & services

- **Blackbeard** — Hypersonic strike weapon being integrated with U.S. Navy aviation, including the F/A-18E/F; Navy production orders announced in 2026.
- **Blackbeard GL** — Ground-launched variant under Army development, including launcher-pod and HIMARS fire-control integration work; qualification milestones remain staged.
- **Internally developed subsystems** — Solid rocket motors, avionics, control actuation, seekers, thermal protection and mission software used in the weapon-development program.
- **Longer-range strike and defensive systems** — Development efforts announced with the Series C; no public product name or operational delivery date confirmed.

## Achievements

- First prototype flight in March 2024.
- More than 20 development flight tests reported in 2025.
- Project Ranger groundbreaking in January 2026.
- Navy order for 50 pre-production prototypes announced June 2026.
- September 2026 production order announced with a ceiling of $200 million.
- Blackbeard test articles carried by a Super Hornet on September 18, 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — October 8 reporting examined Castelion’s newly released ground-launch photograph; it does not establish final qualification or operational fielding.
- **2026-10** — USNI reported the September 18 Super Hornet captive-carry flight; developmental work and live-fire milestones remained ahead.
- **2026-09** — Company announced Navy production delivery order valued up to $200 million.
- **2026-08** — Announced $89,997,162 Navy early-operational-capability order.
- **2026-08** — Series C announced at a $13 billion valuation, combining equity and committed credit.

## Links

- Website: https://www.castelion.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/castelion/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Castelion

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/castelion
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16