CycloKinetics Is Quietly Helping U.S. Military Craft Fly Farther, Faster

Company develops advanced propellants that also enable longer and higher altitude operations.

Jack Daleo

Monday, May 04, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Key Takeaways:

CycloKinetics has launched advanced propellants with up to 32 percent higher energy density than existing fuels, enabling U.S. military aircraft to fly faster, farther, and with more payload using the same amount of fuel.
Developed over 15 years, these "100 percent drop-in replacement" fuels significantly improve performance for aircraft (e.g., 30% more range) and spacecraft (e.g., more than double payload).
The company offers three distinct products—CycloJP (jet fuel), CycloRP (rocket propellant), and CK-10 (missile fuel)—targeting a paradigm shift in aerospace design by prioritizing propellant innovation for current and next-generation systems.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Monday marks the official launch of an advanced propellants developer that is helping U.S. military aircraft fly faster, farther, longer, higher, and with more payload—all using the same amount of fuel.

Mukund Karanjikar founded sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provider CleanJoule in 2009. Since then, Karanjikar and a team of engineers have been working behind the scenes with the military and other partners to develop propellants that beat the energy density of existing fuels by up to 32 percent.

CycloKinetics Is Quietly Helping U.S. Military Craft Fly Farther, Faster

Company develops advanced propellants that also enable longer and higher altitude operations.

Key Takeaways:

Sign up to keep reading

Sign up to keep reading

Ready to Sell Your Aircraft?