US turns to low-cost Blackbeard hypersonic missiles to overwhelm Chinese defences
At US$385,000 per unit, the carrier-launched weapons are being developed with an emphasis on affordability and mass production
In May, the Pentagon sought congressional authorisation and funding to buy more than 12,000 Blackbeard missiles for deployment across the armed services over five years. US Navy projections put the average gross unit cost at about US$385,000 in the financial years 2028-31.
In contrast, the cost of Lockheed Martin’s larger Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is estimated in US Air Force budget figures for the 2024 financial year to be about US$3.25 million.
