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Bryon Hargis

Co-Founder and CEO, Castelion

Search every verified Bryon Hargis interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Bryon Hargis, co-founder and CEO of Castelion, has recently discussed the company's work on the Blackbeard air-launched hypersonic missile, for which the U.S. Navy placed an initial order. In interviews, he described the weapon as a low-cost hypersonic boost-glide system designed for speed, range, and survivability, with a target price point under $500,000 to enable production in large quantities. He stated that the company is building manufacturing capabilities and a domestic supply chain to produce the missiles in thousands, and that the weapon is designed to be common across ground-launch and other configurations. Hargis has also spoken about the broader state of U.S. defense manufacturing, arguing that decades of consolidation and outsourcing have weakened the industrial base. He said that the U.S. is behind not in hypersonic technology but in manufacturing capacity, and that rebuilding that capacity is essential for deterrence. He attributed Castelion's approach to lessons from his time at SpaceX, including a preference for external suppliers over vertical integration, which he described as a last resort when suppliers cannot deliver at acceptable price and speed. He also discussed the company's $1 billion Series C funding round, which valued Castelion at $13 billion, and said he used personal SpaceX stock to help fund the company's early operations.

Recent appearances

  • The Future of Fires—Accelerating Long-Range Precision and Mass for the Joint Force 10.14.2026

    October 15, 2026 · 📺 Galactic Reconnaissance

    2026 AUSA Contemporary Military Forum: The Future of Fires—Accelerating Long-Range Precision and Mass for the Joint Force Moderator: Tom Karako, Director, Missile Defense Project and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department, Center for Strategic and International Studies Panelist: LTG Frank Lozano, Portfolio Acquisitions Executive Fires, United States Army Panelist: MG Bernard J. Harrington, Commanding General, 7th Infantry Division / Multi-Domain Command – Pacific, United States Army Panelist: BG Patrick M Costello, Deputy Portfolio Acquisition Executive Fires and, Commanding Genera…

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  • Castelion CEO Bryon Hargis on building hypersonic missiles for the U.S. Navy

    October 09, 2026 · 📺 Quest Means Business

    "The real innovation that Castelian is bringing to this is the ability to produce it at extreme scale and at a cost that taxpayers can afford." Castelion CEO Bryon Hargis on building hypersonic missiles for the U.S. Navy.

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  • In Conversation with Bryon Hargis, Cofounder & CEO of Castelion ($13B defense technology company)

    October 05, 2026 · 📺 Suffiyan Malik

    My first conversation with Bryon Hargis, Cofounder and CEO of Castelion. This is a special edition of our show recorded at Reindustrialize. Since then, Castelion has announced a $1 billion Series C funding valuing the company at $13 billion making it one of the most valuable defense technology companies in the ecosystem. WHAT WE COVER • Why Bryon sold his SpaceX stock to bootstrap Castelion and bet two-thirds of his savings on the mission. • Why affordable, mass-produced hypersonic missiles are central to his vision of American deterrence. • Building Blackbeard, winning the first Navy order…

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  • Why This Defense CEO Refuses to Vertically Integrate (Until Suppliers Fail)

    September 01, 2026 · 📺 How I Invest Clips

    Most people think building everything in-house is a sign of strength. Bryon Hargis argues it's usually a sign that your supply chain failed you.⁣ ⁣ Drawing on lessons from his time at SpaceX, he breaks down why vertical integration should be a last resort, not a strategy: find a supplier who can deliver at the right price and speed, and only bring it in-house when that option doesn't exist. ⁣ ⁣ He unpacks why traditional aerospace programs like SLS and Orion are hitting a complexity ceiling, and why Elon Musk's real playbook starts with elimination, not automation.⁣ ⁣ The bigger idea is that s…

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  • Defense CEO on Elon Musk, Founder Mode & Building a $10B Defense Company

    August 31, 2026 · 📺 How I Invest Podcast

    America knows how to build advanced weapons. The harder question is whether it can build enough of them. David sits down with Bryon Hargis, co-founder of Castelion, to unpack why rebuilding America’s defense manufacturing capacity has become a national security imperative. Bryon explains why decades of consolidation and outsourcing weakened the defense industrial base, why America could struggle against an adversary with significantly greater manufacturing capacity, and why Castelion is betting that deterrence ultimately requires weapons that can be produced affordably by the thousands. Hig…

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  • BREAKTHROUGH: Startup unveils plan for lower-cost hypersonic missiles

    July 22, 2026 · 📺 Fox Business

    Castelion CEO Bryon Hargis discusses the Blackbeard hypersonic missile, priced under $500K, on 'The Claman Countdown.' #fox #media #breakingnews #us #usa #new #news #breaking #foxbusiness #theclamancountdown #hypersonic #missiles #defense #military #technology #innovation #startup #security #nationalsecurity #weapons #manufacturing #industry #engineering #airforce #navy #army #global #bryonhargis Subscribe to Fox Business: https://bit.ly/2D9Cdse Watch more Fox Business Video: https://video.foxbusiness.com Watch Fox Business Network Live: http://www.foxnewsgo.com/ FOX Business Network (FBN)…

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  • In Conversation with Castelion's Bryon Hargis: From SpaceX to Building America's Hypersonic Arsenal

    July 08, 2026 · 📺 General Catalyst

    General Catalyst's Alexa Liautaud sits down with Castelion founder Bryon Hargis to discuss why solving cost and scale is the key to keeping America safe, how lessons from SpaceX are reshaping defense manufacturing, and why the cost of hypersonic missiles is breaking American deterrence. Chapters 00:00:00 — From South Georgia to Rocket Scientist 00:05:20 — Watching SpaceX Before Anyone Believed 00:08:22 — Quitting a Safe Career to Roll the Dice 00:13:23 — Breaking Into SpaceX 00:16:42 — Building Starshield and Why He Left SpaceX 00:22:56 — Peace Through Strength and the Case for Hypersonic…

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  • How Ex-SpaceX Engineers Are Reinventing America's Missiles

    June 02, 2026 · 📺 The Generalist

    Bryon Hargis is the co-founder and CEO of Castelion, a defense startup building low-cost hypersonic missiles designed to be manufactured at scale. Before founding Castelion, Bryon spent more than a decade at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and nearly six years at SpaceX, where he worked on national security space programs and saw firsthand how iterative engineering and manufacturing speed could reshape aerospace. Castelion’s first missile, Blackbeard, is slated for integration on the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet in roughly a year. In our conversation, we explore: • Why Bryon believes b…

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  • Castelion CEO: Hypersonics will be one of the most important capabilities in the American arsenal

    January 23, 2026 · 📺 CNBC Television

    Bryon Hargis, Castelion CEO, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the construction of a hypersonic campus in New Mexico, state of America's hypersonic manufacturing, and more. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/42d859g » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Watch CNBC on the go with CNBC+: https://www.cnbc.com/WatchCNBCPlus Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide.…

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  • How This Hypersonic Missile Startup Will Transform National Security

    December 11, 2025 · 📺 a16z Deep Dives

    America has lost its non-nuclear deterrent as adversaries race ahead in hypersonics. Bryon Hargis, cofounder and CEO of Castelion, wants to change that. After more than 20 years in aerospace and defense, including helping build Starshield at SpaceX, Bryon is now building a new generation of hypersonic missiles designed for speed, survivability, and scalable production. In this episode, he sits down with a16z General Partner David Ulevitch to explain what hypersonic weapons really are, why the United States fell behind, how Ukraine exposed critical gaps in American manufacturing, and what it…

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  • Meet the Company Building Hypersonic Missiles | Bryon Hargis, Castelion

    December 05, 2025 · 📺 Lightspeed Venture Partners

    Castelion CEO Brian Hargis talks honestly about what it really takes to build a hypersonic missile company the tough parts of scaling defense tech, the challenges of working through government contracts, and why growing competition in the defense world will shape America’s military future. He also explains how Castelion is moving fast with new ideas and more affordable production, backed by over 20 successful test flights in 2025 and contracts with the Army, Navy, and Air Force. It’s a grounded, inside look at how the next generation of U.S. defense capabilities is being built. Chapters 00:0…

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  • Building Long-Range Hypersonic Missiles | Bryon Hargis, Castelion

    October 10, 2025 · 📺 Relentless

    First interview with Bryon Hargis, cofounder & CEO of Castelion. https://castelion.com Castelion builds hypersonic missiles. "Deterrence in a can." Timestamps: 0:26 Hypersonic missiles 3:21 Sunday morning drive in the mountains 4:24 Why being relentless is so important 6:12 Getting kicked continuously 12:41 Passion for the mission of the company 18:19 Traditional aerospace vs SpaceX 26:53 How SpaceX tests & iterates 32:12 Starting Castelion - why reputation matters 38:58 Missile field testing 45:35 Showing employees company’s financial position 52:21 Having cofounders that will let you kn…

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The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →