NAVAIR footage shows Blackbeard hypersonic missile on Super Hornet

Naval Air Systems Command has released imagery showing two Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapons fitted beneath the wing of a US Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The missile is shown in flight on the carrier-based fighter. The new material gives a clearer view of the weapon and how it sits on the aircraft than earlier pictures.

Blackbeard is built by Castelion, a California company. It is air-launched and designed for long-range strikes against maritime and land targets at hypersonic speed. According to the Navy, it is meant to give carrier air wings a relatively low-cost way to hit targets from greater distance and to carry more long-range weapons, including against advanced air defences.

The Super Hornet is the first aircraft cleared to carry the weapon.

Earlier imagery came from an August 2026 Tailhook Association symposium, where a Navy presentation displayed two Blackbeard test articles under the right wing of a Super Hornet. That was the first public sign that physical integration work on the fighter had begun.

The new release follows a fast-moving acquisition effort for the weapon. NAVAIR published the footage on 25 September 2026.