Forging the future of hypersonic strike weapons through Modern Defense Production
Torrance, CA
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.@CNBC EXCLUSIVE: New Mexico and Castelion are highlighted on America's Top States for Business 2026 series. New Mexico's long history of hypersonic research and development is critical to Castelion’s growth as we build Project Ranger, a 1,000-acre hypersonic manufacturing campus. We're grateful for New Mexico's partnership, including @GovMLG, @sandovalcounty, @RioRanchoNM, @NMecondev, @ElectJayCBlock, and @ABQEconDev.
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Castelion is working with the Pentagon to build missiles fast, affordably, and at scale. This model is critical to helping our warfighters protect the United States and deter our adversaries.
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For 250 years, America has been the beacon of hope across the globe. This is only possible because of the people who are the spirit of our great nation. Our innovators, builders, families, and leaders make the United States what it is today: the greatest country on earth. Happy birthday, America!
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Project Ranger will be the largest dedicated hypersonic manufacturing site in the country. This is possible because of our partnership with New Mexico and their workforce, heritage, and commitment to high standards. @CNBC showcases how our collaboration is playing a defining role in building America's new deterrence infrastructure. cnbc.com/amp/2026/06/30/trum…
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Castelion retweeted
I greatly appreciated the discussion last week with @SecWar about rapidly increasing munitions production. The progress in New Mexico on our 1,000-acre site dedicated to producing thousands of highly capable, yet affordable, hypersonic weapons each year is incredible. Construction is months ahead of schedule, and we intend to continue expansion of our manufacturing capabilities.
Castelion is moving at maximum speed to deliver hypersonic weapons at scale and at a price the nation can afford. We are honored to have outstanding partners at the state and local levels, as well as contractors who are building this site from the ground up.
Congratulations to New Mexico for being featured on @CNBC today as one of the top states for business; well deserved.
Pax per virtutem.
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Recently, our Co-Founder and CEO @hargsb met with @SenatorLujan to give an update on Project Ranger, our 1,000-acre hypersonic manufacturing facility in New Mexico. We're on track to provide 300 high-paying jobs and over $650 million in economic output to the state.
We are grateful for New Mexico's leadership as we work to build America's new arsenal.
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The wars in Ukraine and Iran have shown us that the United States needs more missiles produced cost effectively and at scale. The @WSJ discusses here how Castelion is contributing to that urgent need.
wsj.com/opinion/a-hypersonic…
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It was an honor to host @SecArmy at our headquarters. As threats evolve, producing hypersonic missiles rapidly at scale is required to build the American arsenal. We are grateful for the Army’s trust as we deliver the best munitions to protect our warfighters.
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We are excited to welcome Alec Johnson to Castelion as our Vice President of Government Affairs.
In this role, he leads engagement with Congress, @DeptofWar, and the national security policy community to advance American deterrence. He focuses on aligning Castelion’s hypersonic strike programs with defense policy, congressional funding, and acquisition pathways needed to field affordable hypersonic weapons at scale.
He previously served as a Senior Director at Applied Intuition, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Navy, Director for Legislative Affairs at the National Security Council, Senior Defense Policy Advisor in the U.S. Senate, and on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. He also spent eight years as a Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer.
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Castelion retweeted
The Navy's order is validation that Blackbeard is the ideal balance of capability, cost, and manufacturing scale. Proud of the hard work the team has put in to get to this point and recognize the hard work and improvements still to come. Thank you @USNavy for the trust you are placing in us; we don’t take it lightly.
We're proud to share the @USNavy has awarded Castelion a $23.4M fixed-price order for 50 Blackbeard Hypersonic weapons, our first delivery order for the program.
The award marks an important step in Blackbeard's transition from development and flight testing toward operationally relevant production.
"Blackbeard was designed from the beginning to support our nation's conventional deterrence," said @hargsb, our Co-Founder & CEO. Read more:
castelion.com/news/u-s-navy-…
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We're proud to share the @USNavy has awarded Castelion a $23.4M fixed-price order for 50 Blackbeard Hypersonic weapons, our first delivery order for the program.
The award marks an important step in Blackbeard's transition from development and flight testing toward operationally relevant production.
"Blackbeard was designed from the beginning to support our nation's conventional deterrence," said @hargsb, our Co-Founder & CEO. Read more:
castelion.com/news/u-s-navy-…
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Tomorrow, our Co-Founder and CEO @hargisb is joining @reindsummit on the panel "The Future of American Munitions Production."
The conversation around affordable, mass-producible strike weapons is happening now. @Castelion is building toward that future.
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Castelion retweeted
The ability to project force, at scale, across a number of domains is the bedrock of American security. Today, I’m excited to publicly announce our partnership with @Saronic to enable an affordable approach to do exactly that at sea. Demonstration coming in 2027.
We're partnering with @Saronic to launch Blackbeard from their Marauder (MUSV), a first-of-its-kind capability.
"Blackbeard and Marauder will give our warfighters more shots, from more places, with fewer constraints," said our co-founder and CEO @hargsb.
At-sea demonstration targeted for 2027. Read more here: castelion.com/news/saronic-a…
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Castelion retweeted
A hypersonic missile on a beer budget: @katebachwsj interviews Bryon Hargis and Andrew Kreitz
on.wsj.com/4uAmj0z
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Castelion retweeted
.@Castelion is integrating its Blackbeard low-cost hypersonic weapon on @Saronic's Marauder autonomous surface vessel—the first such ASV-hypersonics pairing, according to the companies—with plans to demo the combo package in an at-sea launch next year.
tectonicdefense.com/castelio…
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Castelion retweeted
Why is it so important for America to create its own hypersonic missile program? Why has this been an urgent mission for the last few years, and why does it feel so sorely needed?
According to @hargsb, the hypersonic missile solves 3 problems:
1. Range: hypersonics fly high in the atmosphere, where drag is minimal, covering vast distances for their size.
2. Speed: faster than Mach 5, closing a target before it has time to move.
3. Survivability: exceptionally hard to shoot down, which means it reaches its target.
The US has understood all 3 for decades. What it has never solved is cost. "You have to build enough of them that they care," Hargis said.
@Castelion is building for all 3, at a price America can actually afford to scale.
"I want to leave a safe world for my kids. This is what I got."
Bryon Hargis (@hargsb) is the founder and CEO of @Castelion, a defense startup building hypersonic missiles the way SpaceX builds rockets: fast, iteratively, and cheap enough to produce in quantity.
His conviction is that America does not have a weapons problem. It has a manufacturing and learning rate problem. And that gap is more dangerous than any single technology demonstration.
Timestamps
(0:00) Intro
(4:01) Why America needs hypersonic missiles
(12:05) The missing middle ground in deterrence
(19:40) How hypersonics differ from ballistic missiles
(25:05) The economics of defensive vs. offensive systems
(28:21) How SpaceX differs from traditional aerospace
(37:40) Why Bryon chose to build in defense over space
(42:42) Key factors that drove Castelion’s success
(1:01:06) The importance of lower costs and quicker manufacturing
(1:10:04) Book recommendations
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Castelion retweeted
Today, @Saronic and @Castelion announced plans to join forces to launch a hypersonic vehicle from an unmanned surface vessel. By integrating Castelion’s Blackbeard with Saronic’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) Marauder, the two companies offer a powerful, credible option to deter would-be adversaries
navalnews.com/naval-news/202…
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