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, a new company founded by CleanJoule's Mukund Karanjikar, is officially launching to provide advanced, high-energy-density propellants for aerospace and defense.
Developed over 15 years, these "100 percent drop-in" fuels offer up to a 32 percent higher energy density, enabling military aircraft to fly 30 percent farther and spacecraft to carry more than double their payload using the same amount of fuel.
The company's proprietary method produces difficult-to-make cyclo-paraffinic hydrocarbons, forming the basis for its three products (CycloJP, CycloRP, CK-10) designed to enhance the performance and capabilities of current and next-generation aviation and space 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.