Pentagon backs hypersonics as startups target lower costs

Startup targets mass production

The Army and Navy are investing in Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic weapon as the Pentagon seeks weapons that can be produced in larger numbers at lower cost. Castelion says Blackbeard was designed for mass production, and co-founder and CEO Bryon Hargis put the weapon’s cost below.

That target sits far below estimates for larger military hypersonic programs. The Government Accountability Office estimates a missile for the Army’s Dark Eagle long-range hypersonic weapon could cost more than. For the Navy’s work to add hypersonic weapons to Zumwalt-class destroyers, GAO estimates about per missile, including the cost of developing and integrating required technology. GAO says that modernization effort is two years behind schedule.

Costs shape the weapons mix

Hypersonic weapons can maneuver while traveling at least five times the speed of sound. Their speed can shorten an opponent’s response time and help the weapons avoid defenses. The Atlantic Council estimates that a mission could require 75% fewer hypersonic weapons.

The cost comparison is not one-for-one. GAO’s Zumwalt figure includes development and integration, while Castelion’s amount is the company’s stated cost for its own weapon. An Arms Control Association analyst said the Army expects Dark Eagle to become less expensive as production grows.

Existing missile prices show why cost matters to the military’s mix. Navy figures put a Tomahawk at about. Army budget documents price a Patriot at nearly and a Precision Strike Missile at per unit. Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and Center for Strategic and International Studies adviser, said the United States will need inexpensive missiles, higher-end systems such as Patriot, and some hypersonic weapons.