CycloKinetics Launches as Dedicated Aerospace and Defense Propellant Company, Built on 15 Years of U.S. Military Collaboration

CycloKinetics introduces high-performance, drop-in fuels for defense and space, adds senior industry leadership, and releases a whitepaper offering critical insights into the strategic role of propulsion in emerging theaters of war and air combat

SALT LAKE CITY, May 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CycloKinetics, Inc., a U.S.-based advanced propellant technology company developing high-performance, drop-in fuels for aerospace and defense applications, has officially launched. The new organization formalizes a structure that leading aerospace companies have long recognized as essential: a dedicated defense entity built to operate at the speed and scale that military customers require. CycloKinetics is already in live operations across all three major services, Army, Navy, and Air Force, with a suite of products deployed across multiple platforms. This is the result of a 15-year relationship with the Department of War that has grown from early research to full manufacturing scale.

“Building superior fuels has been our business for 15 years, and that work has earned us the trust of leading airlines and every branch of the U.S. military. Creating CycloKinetics as a dedicated defense entity is the logical outcome of that history; we now have the scale and operational depth to warrant the same structure ,” said Mukund Karanjikar, CEO and founder of CycloKinetics. “Across defense and space, propulsion is no longer a background variable but a primary driver of mission capability. From high-altitude ISR and long-range strike systems to next-generation propulsion and space launch, performance increasingly comes down to the energy powering the platform. As operational demands evolve, advanced propellants have become a critical lever for extending range, increasing endurance, and enabling entirely new mission profiles that were previously out of reach.”

CycloKinetics is purpose-built to advance propulsion technologies for aerospace and defense applications where performance requirements around range, payload, speed, and operational resilience are increasingly central to mission success. The company develops advanced, drop-in propellants engineered to integrate with existing systems while delivering measurable gains in range, endurance, and overall platform performance without requiring changes to propulsion architecture. Its portfolio includes three advanced, drop-in propellants designed to enhance performance across aerospace and defense applications:

CycloJP: a high-energy density replacement for conventional aerospace fuels, including Jet A, JP-5, JP-8, and JPTS, designed to enhance performance across both manned and unmanned aircraft platforms. Its advanced formulation delivers superior thermal stability and low-temperature performance, enabling reliable operation in extreme conditions, more efficient high-speed flight, and expanded operational ceilings for high-altitude missions.
CycloRP: a high-performance propellant and drop-in replacement for RP-1 and RP-2 liquid rocket fuels. With higher volumetric and gravimetric energy density, it enables substantially greater payload per launch. Cleaner combustion and reduced soot formation support increased engine longevity, reusability, and reduced maintenance intensity for reusable launch platforms.
CK-10: a next-generation replacement for JP-10, engineered to enhance the performance of missile platforms. It improves range and standoff distance through higher energy density and combustion performance.

In conjunction with its launch, CycloKinetics is also expanding its leadership team with senior additions spanning defense, government, and strategy, reflecting the company’s focus on aligning advanced propulsion innovation with real-world operational requirements. General Tod D. Wolters (Ret.), former Commander of U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, joins the Board of Directors. Additionally, Dr. Oscar Ruiz joins as Senior Vice President of Strategy & Solutions, where he will lead the commercialization strategy and engagement across defense and aerospace markets. He brings more than 15 years of experience at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), most recently serving as Chief of the Biomaterials Branch, and has been recognized as an AFRL Fellow.

CycloKinetics is also releasing a whitepaper, Pilots, Planes, and Propulsion: America’s Trifecta for Another Century of Air Superiority, offering critical insights into the evolving landscape of air combat and the strategic role propulsion technology, and specifically advanced propellants, plays in emerging theaters of war. As the U.S. faces intensifying competition in regions such as the Indo-Pacific, the paper makes the case that propulsion remains an underrecognized but decisive factor in sustaining air superiority, directly impacting range, operational reach, and mission effectiveness in contested and denied environments.

“In the strategic competition with China, the ability to sustain and extend U.S. air superiority will depend on aircraft and munitions as well as the largely unseen forces, such as advanced propellants, that power them,” added Karanjikar. “By prioritizing propellant innovation, CycloKinetics’ solutions extend operational reach, reduce logistical dependencies, and maintain decisive technological overmatch.”

The whitepaper outlines how advanced propellants can enhance U.S. airpower capabilities by:

Enhancing range and operational reach: Advanced propellants substantially increase energy density compared to conventional Jet A and JP-8, enabling longer missions with fewer assets and reduced reliance on mid-flight refueling.
Improving performance in extreme operating environments: Superior thermal stability enables efficient operation at high speeds and temperatures, supporting more advanced and unpredictable flight profiles.
Strengthening logistical resilience: Domestic, distributed, and in-theater production reduces dependence on vulnerable supply chains and improves mission readiness in contested environments.
Serving as a force multiplier for next-generation systems: Advanced propellants unlock the full capabilities of next-generation aircraft, missile, and autonomous systems by improving range, efficiency, and overall performance.

With the launch of CycloKinetics, the organization is establishing propulsion as a core layer of aerospace and defense innovation, positioning advanced fuels not as a supporting component, but as a central driver of mission capability across air, space, and autonomous systems.

About CycloKinetics
CycloKinetics, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is an advanced propellant technology company developing high-performance, fully drop-in fuels for aerospace and defense applications. Its proprietary propellants are designed to outperform conventional fuels while integrating seamlessly into existing systems, enabling improved range, endurance, payload capacity, and overall mission performance. Its propellants are drop-in replacements for the current fuels which power turbine-powered platforms, Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS), long-range and attritable missiles, next-generation propulsion, space launch systems, and commercial jets.

CycloKinetics produces its fuels domestically, supporting secure and rapidly scalable supply for defense and aerospace customers. Its industrial manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City became operational in 2025, with deliveries to customers already underway. The company’s feedstock-flexible production process enables manufacturing to be optimized for locally available resources, strengthening supply chain resilience and supporting distributed and in-theater production capabilities. For more information, visit www.cyclokinetics.com

Media Contact
Kate Gundry
cyclokinetics@pluckpr.com
617-797-5174

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/63ba854e-d762-486d-bb70-c69579cf0dce

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