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The United States is moving decisively to expand its hypersonic strike capabilities, unveiling new systems designed for speed and survivability as well as affordability and large-scale production.

In two separate efforts, Ursa Major, a Colorado-based defense manufacturer, introduced the HAVOC hypersonic missile system, and the U.S. Navy awarded a $50 million contract to Castelion Corp. for the Blackbeard missile, signaling a broader Pentagon shift toward scalable, manufacturable hypersonic weapons that can be deployed across multiple domains.

Ursa Major’s HAVOC missile system is a medium-range hypersonic weapon powered by a liquid rocket engine that can be launched from fighter aircraft, bombers, ground-based platforms, vertical launch systems, and potentially even outside Earth’s atmosphere.

HAVOC is built around the company’s 4,000-pound-thrust Draper engine, currently under development with funding support from the U.S. Air Force. Unlike solid rocket motors that cannot be controlled once ignited, the Draper liquid engine can be throttled mid-flight, allowing the missile to alter speed and adjust its flight profile.

The engine is also designed for safer storage compared to traditional liquid systems, while retaining tactical storage advantages typically associated with solid rocket motors.

The missile’s modular architecture allows it to function as a single-stage weapon when launched from aircraft or incorporate additional stages for vertical or ground-based launches. Its compact size enables deployment from a broader range of platforms compared to larger boost-glide systems that require heavy bombers.

Hypersonic weapons are generally defined as those traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5, roughly five times the speed of sound, and are characterized by their maneuverability during later stages of flight, making interception significantly more difficult.

HAVOC’s throttling capability enables it to accelerate or decelerate in flight, creating unpredictable flight patterns that complicate enemy air defense calculations.

“The differentiator, we believe, is the fact that HAVOC is an adaptable boost system,” Ursa Major CEO Chris Spagnoletti said. “So not only can we go fast, but we can deep throttle and leverage the fact that we are not required to stay on the whole time. We are not required to stay at the same altitude. So what that does is open the aperture for survivability, confusing the enemy.”

Because the missile can operate in the upper atmosphere, it faces less thermal stress than air-breathing hypersonic cruise missiles that must fly lower in denser air, reducing the need for advanced and costly thermal protection systems.

Spagnoletti described HAVOC as occupying the middle ground between highly sophisticated, expensive hypersonic weapons and lower-cost, high-volume munitions. The company is targeting a unit cost below $3 million per missile, aligning with Pentagon calls for more affordable hypersonic systems.

HAVOC’s potential mission set ranges from strike operations to serving as a target surrogate for training and testing defenses against other hypersonic threats. Ursa Major plans a series of development missions over the next 12 to 14 months, culminating in a boosted hypersonic test flight. If successful, the missile could be fielded before the end of the decade.

The company intends to manufacture approximately 80 to 90 percent of HAVOC components in-house, outsourcing select technologies such as seekers. It is currently scouting locations to expand its manufacturing footprint.

Ursa Major’s entry into the missile prime contractor space also positions it to compete directly with major defense primes, even as it continues supplying propulsion systems to some of them.

$50 Million for Blackbeard missile

In parallel, the U.S. Navy has awarded Castelion Corp. a firm-fixed-price contract worth $50 million to advance its Blackbeard hypersonic missile program. The funding supports full-scale prototype development, flight testing, and early operational fielding through November 2027.

The contract was executed under the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, New Jersey, indicating a strong focus on aviation integration and test infrastructure. While the intended launch platform has not been publicly disclosed, the contracting authority suggests an air-launched pathway is under serious consideration.

Blackbeard is designed as a low-cost hypersonic precision-strike missile capable of engaging moving and hardened targets. Its maneuvering atmospheric flight reduces warning time and complicates interception.

Army budget documents describe a ground-launched version compatible with HIMARS-class systems and envisioned for future deployment from the Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher.

Unlike the Army’s Dark Eagle Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, Blackbeard is not intended to match the highest-end hypersonic velocities or ranges. Instead, it aims to achieve approximately 80 percent of certain long-range strike capabilities at significantly lower cost.

Castelion has articulated ambitions to manufacture thousands of units annually at a unit price in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, emphasizing vertical integration of propulsion and guidance systems to accelerate production cycles.

The development pathway leverages a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III framework tied to an Air Force topic focused on highly manufacturable long-range strike production. The approach reflects a broader Pentagon objective: move beyond boutique hypersonic programs and toward scalable industrial output.

Strategic Implications

The renewed push comes amid longstanding concerns that Russia and China have gained operational advantages in hypersonic weapons. China has conducted significantly more hypersonic missile tests than the United States and continues expanding its program, including investment in underground facilities. Russia has also operationalized hypersonic systems, some designed to carry nuclear warheads.

By contrast, most U.S. hypersonic weapons are being designed as conventional systems rather than nuclear-armed platforms. A Congressional Research Service report published last August noted that U.S. hypersonic systems will likely require greater accuracy and be more technically challenging to develop than nuclear-armed Russian and Chinese systems.

The report also observed that nuclear-armed systems may hold certain advantages because they can inflict devastating damage without requiring precision accuracy. “Most U.S. hypersonic weapons, in contrast to those in Russia and China, are not being designed for use with a nuclear warhead,” it stated.

It further warned that “Differences in threat perception and escalation ladders could thus result in unintended escalation,” reflecting congressional concerns that hypersonic deployments could complicate crisis stability.

Across the U.S. military, hypersonic development remains a priority. The Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, the Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, and the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike program are all advancing, though timelines have experienced delays related to testing, integration, and industrial capacity constraints.

Affordable Mass and Industrial Scale

Both HAVOC and Blackbeard represent a doctrinal and industrial evolution. Rather than relying exclusively on a small number of highly expensive hypersonic weapons, the Pentagon appears increasingly focused on combining performance with production scale.

For operational planners, lower-cost hypersonic munitions expand options beyond strategic targets, enabling potential use against mobile launchers, air defense systems, maritime targets, and hardened nodes in contested environments. Distributed launch platforms such as aircraft, HIMARS-class systems, and future autonomous launchers could complicate adversary targeting and enhance survivability.

The immediate test will be execution. Hypersonic programs have historically faced technical setbacks, budget pressures, and integration hurdles. Success for HAVOC and Blackbeard will depend not only on aerodynamic performance but on sustaining flight-test tempo, proving manufacturability, and integrating across existing operational platforms.

If these efforts deliver as planned, the United States may transition from fielding limited hypersonic capabilities to deploying scalable, adaptable systems capable of reshaping long-range strike doctrine before the end of the decade.