Castelion's Blackbeard hypersonic missile. Photo: Castelion

The U.S. Navy on Monday awarded hypersonic weapons developer Castelion a $43.6 million order for the first production lot of 444 Blackbeard hypersonic weapon All-Up Rounds (AURs). This award is still part of a previously issued basic ordering agreement under a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III effort. The DoD award announcement said it specifically covers manufacturing, assembly, testing, and delivery of the first production lot of 444 AURs. The AURs consist of fully functional tactical missiles packaged in specialized…