The U.S. Navy has awarded defense technology startup Castelion its first production contract for the Blackbeard hypersonic missile. This $23.4 million deal includes 50 pre-production missiles and shows the Navy is ready to move the program past development and testing.

This contract comes as the Pentagon looks for faster, more affordable hypersonic weapons for long-range strikes. For Castelion, it is the first step toward making Blackbeard at a scale that could support future military missions.

Navy moves Blackbeard toward operational service

The contract helps further develop the Blackbeard weapon system and expands manufacturing at Castelion’s Project Ranger site in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Blackbeard is designed to be a low-cost, easy-to-produce hypersonic missile capable of exceeding Mach 5, or over 3,800 mph (6,100 km/h). At these speeds, it can cover long distances quickly and is much harder to intercept than traditional weapons.

Most of the work for this contract will happen in Rio Rancho, with some activities in Torrance, California. Castelion expects to finish the work in 2027.

This new contract shows increasing confidence in the program as it moves from flight testing to limited production and future deployment.

“Blackbeard was designed from the beginning to support our nation’s conventional deterrence,” Castelion Co-Founder and CEO Bryon Hargis said in a press statement.

“This award reflects the Navy’s continued commitment to rapidly advancing affordable, manufacturable long-range strike capability and moving Blackbeard toward early operational use.”

Series of major contracts accelerates program

This production contract comes after several major government deals Castelion has won this year.

In February, the company received a contract worth almost $50 million to accelerate development and produce prototypes of the Blackbeard system. This funding was intended to support testing and prepare the program for future needs.

Two months later, in April, Castelion landed another big contract worth $107 million. This deal aims to integrate Blackbeard with the Navy’s F/A-18 fighter jets, giving the missile more ways to be used.

These back-to-back contracts show the program is gaining momentum as the Navy looks for new ways to use hypersonic weapons on different platforms.

Expanding launch options beyond aircraft

The company is also working on new ways to launch Blackbeard, which could make it more flexible in operations.

The company has teamed up with defense tech firm Saronic to put the missile on the Marauder unmanned surface vessel. They plan a demonstration in 2027, which could be the first time a hypersonic weapon is launched from an unmanned surface ship.

If the test works, it will show a new way to use hypersonic weapons from unmanned naval platforms, without needing a crew.

Project Ranger becomes production hub

To support its long-term manufacturing plans, the defense firm has put over $250 million into Project Ranger, its large production campus in New Mexico.

The facility covers about 1,000 acres (405 hectares) and is the main site for Castelion’s push to make hypersonic weapons more cheaply and in bigger numbers than traditional methods. The new Navy contract will help grow production at the site and support the delivery of the first 50 pre-production missiles.

A former coal mining site in central Illinois is now being used for renewable energy. Nexamp and TurningPoint Energy have finished two community solar projects in Woodford County, turning land that once produced coal into a solar power facility that provides electricity to local customers and businesses.

The site near Minonk was once part of the Colchester Coal Seam mining region, active from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. Now, it has almost 17,000 solar panels that can generate 9.8 megawatts of electricity, enough for hundreds of subscribers and to add clean power to the local grid.

These projects are the first time Nexamp and TurningPoint Energy have worked together in Illinois. They are also the first Illinois Shines community solar projects in Woodford County.

Reclaimed mining land finds a new purpose

The solar panels were installed on a former coal mine that is considered a brownfield under Illinois Shines, the state’s solar incentive program. This certification encourages developers to use land that has already been disturbed, rather than farmland or untouched areas.

TurningPoint Energy handled project development, while Nexamp was responsible for construction and now owns and operates the facilities.

The solar farms together cover about 40 acres and send electricity straight into Commonwealth Edison’s network. Nexamp says all the solar panels were made in the United States, which supports local clean energy supply chains and brings new economic value to land that used to be tied to fossil fuels.

Advanced software helps manage solar generation

The Minonk projects also bring new grid management technology to the area. They are among the first projects on ComEd’s system to use Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS).

This software enables utilities to monitor and manage energy resources, such as solar panels, in real time. As more renewable energy connects to the grid, it becomes harder for utilities to balance supply and demand. DERMS helps by providing better control and visibility into how energy flows.

Using this technology, the projects show that renewable energy can help keep the grid reliable and help utilities prepare for more clean energy in the future.

Hundreds of households already enrolled

Many people in the community have signed up. The projects are almost full, with over 650 customers already enrolled.

One of the solar farms provides power to about 450 homes. The other serves around 200 low-income households, making community solar more accessible and helping these families save on electricity costs.

Community solar is different from rooftop solar because customers can join a shared project and get credits on their utility bills without having to install anything at home. This makes solar power available to renters, apartment dwellers, and homeowners whose roofs are not suitable for solar panels.

Major institutions strengthen project economics

Big organizations are also helping make the projects successful. Rush University Medical Center and the College of DuPage have joined as customers and together use about 40 percent of the projects’ electricity.

Their involvement creates steady demand, supporting the community solar model and helping bring renewable energy to more people.

“This is exactly the kind of project we aspire to deliver with our partners and our customers,” said Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai. “By turning a former coal mine into a pair of community solar farms, we are helping hundreds of subscribers reduce their energy costs today while strengthening their energy security for the long term.”

“By pairing that affordability with US-manufactured equipment and advanced grid tools like DERMS, these Minonk projects not only put clean power within reach for households and institutions; they also show how community solar can make the grid smarter, more resilient, and better prepared for Illinois’ clean energy future.”