Castelion, a California-based defense technology firm founded by former SpaceX engineers, confirmed that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited the company’s headquarters this week. According to the company, Hegseth met with engineers working on rapid-production missile technologies designed to restore industrial agility and increase the pace at which U.S. forces can field advanced weapons. During his remarks to employees, Hegseth said that if the United States wants to preserve peace through deterrence, “it’s going to require companies like this one, capabilities that you are building, to ensure that our adversaries think in their mind… not today.” The company is developing the Blackbeard, described as a long-range hypersonic strike solution being engineered for mass production. As noted by Castelion, the weapon integrates vertically developed propulsion and guidance systems to reduce costs while preserving high-performance characteristics required for operational missions. Engineers briefed Hegseth on the effort to streamline design and simplify the production cycle to support rapid fielding timelines.

Full report : US War Minister Pete Hegseth inspected the development of Castelion’s newest hypersonic missile “Blackbeard.”

For more see the OODA Company Profile on Castelion.