A California-based defense technology firm founded by former SpaceX engineers, has confirmed that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited the company’s headquarters this week, underscoring growing Pentagon interest in emerging private-sector efforts to accelerate U.S. missile production and long-range strike capabilities.
According to the company, Hegseth met with engineers working on rapid-production missile technologies aimed at restoring industrial agility and increasing the speed at which U.S. forces can field advanced weapons. During remarks delivered to employees, Hegseth emphasized the role of deterrence in preventing conflict, telling staff that preserving peace would depend on “capabilities that you are building, to ensure that our adversaries think in their mind… not today.”
Castelion has positioned itself as part of a new wave of defense firms seeking to rethink how complex weapons are designed and manufactured. Founded by engineers who previously worked at SpaceX, the company applies commercial-style engineering principles—such as vertical integration, simplified design, and rapid iteration—to missile systems that have traditionally been developed through lengthy and costly acquisition programs.
At the center of Castelion’s portfolio is Blackbeard, which the firm describes as a long-range hypersonic strike solution engineered specifically for mass production. Unlike legacy hypersonic programs that prioritize exquisite performance at high cost, Castelion says Blackbeard is designed to balance advanced speed and range with affordability and manufacturability. The system integrates vertically developed propulsion and guidance technologies, an approach intended to reduce reliance on external suppliers while maintaining operationally relevant performance.
During the visit, engineers briefed Hegseth on efforts to streamline design choices and simplify the production cycle in order to support rapid fielding timelines. Company officials said the goal is to enable shorter lead times from contract award to deployment, addressing longstanding concerns within the U.S. military about the slow pace of conventional weapons production.
Hegseth was also shown the Palletized Field Artillery Launcher, a modular launch system configured with four universal launcher pods. The launcher is designed to be deployable across multiple platforms and services, allowing it to integrate with logistics and transport infrastructure already in use across U.S. forces. Castelion said the system emphasizes rapid loading and firing cycles, offering commanders flexible options for deploying long-range fires without requiring specialized or bespoke launch vehicles.
According to the company, a core objective across its programs is to provide the United States with a scalable and affordable non-nuclear deterrence option. Castelion argues that the ability to deploy conventional long-range strike systems quickly and in meaningful numbers is increasingly critical as potential adversaries expand their own missile arsenals and adopt strategies that rely on mass and saturation.
The firm’s approach places particular emphasis on manufacturability and supply-chain resilience. Castelion said it is designing components and subsystems with production in mind from the outset, allowing complex missile parts to be built using shorter, more predictable lead times than those associated with traditional defense programs. This focus aligns with broader Pentagon concerns about the fragility of the U.S. defense industrial base and its capacity to sustain prolonged high-intensity conflict.
Hegseth’s visit comes amid sustained calls from U.S. officials and military planners for long-range conventional strike systems that can be produced in volume and deployed across multiple theaters, including the Indo-Pacific and Europe. Recent strategy documents have highlighted the need for distributed, survivable, and rapidly replenishable strike capabilities as part of a broader deterrence posture.
Castelion described the visit as an opportunity to demonstrate how emerging private-sector initiatives can help address gaps in the current industrial base. The company said it aims to field systems that complement existing long-range strike assets while reducing dependence on legacy manufacturing networks, positioning itself as a potential contributor to the next phase of U.S. conventional deterrence.
