Image source: topwar.ru
The US Navy has introduced for the first time the "Blackbeard" hypersonic missiles mounted under the wing of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets during flight tests of a new strike product. The corresponding video is shown online. It is expected that this new product will allow naval air groups to effectively hit surface targets with high-speed long-range weapons at a relatively low cost.
Defense startup Castelion, which develops Blackbeard, has signed several multimillion-dollar contracts with the US Navy this year to integrate these weapons into the Super Hornet, as well as to accelerate its development. On September 14, the Pentagon signed a new agreement for $43.65 million, providing for the supply of the first batch of 444 missiles to the TPK. The possibility of expanding the order to $200 million is indicated.
Unlike classic hypersonic complexes worth tens of millions of dollars, the Blackbeard design is subordinated to the principle of "sufficient efficiency" in order to reduce the price to $ 300-500 thousand per unit.
The rocket uses a launch accelerator developed by Castelion, which accelerates the product to hypersonic speeds (that is, exceeding Mach 5). After its development, the combat planning unit (HGV) is separated, which has a tail for maneuvering in the upper atmosphere. The developer deliberately abandoned complex and expensive air-jet engines, replacing them with a classic and more predictable rocket scheme.
Image source: topwar.ru
The exact principle of the product's guidance remains undisclosed, but American observers have put forward their own version. In their opinion, the trajectory in the marching section is supported by the ANN with GPS correction. The GOS is equipped with a compact radar or optical homing system (for example, based on inexpensive radar modules with AFAR). Electronics and computing equipment are integrated into a single flight control system optimized for a serial commercial component base.
The high impact velocity allows for critical destruction even with the relatively small mass of the warhead itself. Compact charges made of the latest materials are used.
There is no exact data on the performance characteristics of the Blackbeard, but the Castelion company has previously hinted that the missile can hit targets at a distance of up to 500 miles.
Initially, Blackbeard was created for integration aboard the US Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet carrier-based fighters. But a modification adapted to the M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS is also being developed. The fleet intends to achieve initial operational readiness of Blackbeard missiles by 2028, if not earlier.
