What project DP1 buys
The mission of Blackbeard - Ground Launch (GL) is to attack/neutralize/suppress/destroy using an advanced missile delivered precision fires (seeker based) against time sensitive moving targets and hardened targets at a much-reduced cost per missile than current existing options in the Army inventory. Blackbeard - GL will be an affordable, mass-produced advanced weapon designed for mid-range precision. The Army will leverage advancements in technology, materials, and cost-effective production methods to provide superior capabilities through fast, iterative design cycles, flexible hardware development, and modern manufacturing practices. Blackbeard - GL will offer a complementary but enhanced survivable advanced precision strike capability, utilizing existing Army launcher platforms. Blackbeard - GL is not a replacement to the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapons (LRHW) as it will not reach similar velocities nor range. Key features include integration into modified Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Family of Munitions (MFOM) pods and enhanced target discrimination capabilities. Funding will support development, system flight tests, software validation, and full integration into the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) platform, which will expand HIMARS lethality. Blackbeard - GL is a companion development to the Army's Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) effort which holds the potential to replace the base HIMARS launcher platform amongst other launchers. While envisioned as a primary munition for CAML, Blackbeard - GL is designed to be compatible with existing HIMARS platforms as an interim solution. The HIMARS Extended Range Demo (HERD) project supports the Army's Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) modernization priority by demonstrating the feasibility and performance of integrating a qualified, extended-range Blackbeard - Ground Launch (GL) advanced strike missile into the HIMARS launcher system. This demonstration will assess the potential to achieve a significantly reduced cost for high-speed strike capability complementing existing PrSM capabilities.
- Management Services
- Product Development
- Test and Evaluation
Project DP1 funding, FY2027–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2027 | Request | 82.9 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 107.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 38.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 28.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 28.0 |
1 accomplishment / planned program
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. Each describes FY2027 work in enough detail to have its own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
FY 2027 efforts will include the Castelion Flight Termination System (FTS) Implementation which includes labor for design, qualification, testing, program management, and materials for 10 units. The FY 2027 efforts also consist of continuing the Blackbeard - GL Option Award to include a test readiness TEM, Production-Representative…
Read the FY2027 plan →Named performers on project DP1
Performers named in the R-3 exhibit under this project. Share is of the project's whole FY2027 R-3 total — the same denominator the program-element split uses, so the two read on one scale and will not sum to 100% when unnamed or government work is in the mix. Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations.