Starfighters and Vaya to Collaborate on Air-Launch and Captive Carry Projects

Starfighters and Vaya plan joint technical work to test Vortex-Hybrid propulsion on F-104 platforms and assess its use for STARLAUNCH missions.

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Space Coast neighbors will evaluate Vaya’s Vortex-Hybrid engine for Starfighters’ STARLAUNCH® air-launch system and explore flying hypersonic test articles aboard Wind Tunnel in the Sky®

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Starfighters Space, Inc. (“Starfighters” or the “Company”) (NYSE American: FJET), the space company operating the world’s only commercial fleet of flight-ready Mach 2+ supersonic aircraft, and Vaya Defense & Space, Inc. (“Vaya”), a privately held developer of the patented Vortex-Hybrid rocket engine, today announced entering into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore collaboration on supersonic captive-carry flight testing and air-launch propulsion.

The MOU includes two collaboration tracks. Under the first collaboration track, the companies plan to evaluate flying Vaya hypersonic test articles and other payloads on Starfighters’ Wind Tunnel in the Sky® service, which uses F-104 aircraft to expose hardware to sustained Mach 2+ flight conditions for technology validation and maturation.

Under the second collaboration track, the parties plan to assess whether Vaya’s hybrid propulsion is suitable for STARLAUNCH®, Starfighters’ air-launch system, beginning with suborbital missions. The joint technical assessment is expected to cover propulsion performance and packaging, vehicle and payload integration, and methodologies for operating from the F-104’s underwing stations.

“Vaya has spent years maturing a propulsion technology that is throttleable, restartable, and non-explosive — which is close to an ideal profile for a vehicle carried under the wing of an aircraft,” said Tim Franta, CEO of Starfighters Space. “Their shop is also a short drive from our hangar at Kennedy Space Center. That combination of technical fit and proximity allows us to develop and test hardware faster than either of us could alone.”

“Air launch puts a premium on propulsion that is compact, safe to handle, and controllable in flight — all reasons we designed our technology the way we did,” said Dr. Wes Naylor, President and CEO of Vaya. “Starfighters offers a flight environment that is difficult to replicate on the ground and a near-term path to demonstrating our technology in the air.”

Both companies are located on Florida’s Space Coast, with facilities only miles apart. Under the MOU, Starfighters will have access to Vaya’s propulsion lab and precision machining facility for engineering collaboration, prototyping, engine testing, and flight hardware development.

About Starfighters Space, Inc.

Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET), with a fleet of F-104 aircraft based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Midland International Air and Space Port in Texas, is the only company in the world with the commercial capability to fly at sustained Mach 2+ speeds for a variety of aerospace applications. The iconic F-104 jets are configurable as a platform for air-launched payloads, training for pilots, and to support research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) for hypersonic technologies, advanced materials, missile defense systems, microgravity science, spaceflight hardware validation, and defense electronic systems.

About Vaya Defense and Space, Inc.

Vaya Defense & Space, Inc. is a privately held propulsion company based in Cocoa, Florida, developing hybrid rocket engines for defense, hypersonic, and space applications. Founded in 2017, Vaya designed and patented the Vortex-Hybrid engine, which pairs a 3D-printed, non-explosive thermoplastic fuel grain with a liquid oxidizer to deliver full-authority throttling and in-flight restart — capabilities not available from conventional solid rocket motors. Vaya operates a vertically integrated engine design, prototyping, and test facility on Florida’s Space Coast, and has worked with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center, the U.S. Air Force, and DARPA on tactical missile and hypersonic ramjet propulsion. The company is also developing commercial space launch vehicles.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and assumptions and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially due to risks and uncertainties affecting the Company’s business, including those described in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and are made as of the date of this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909688614/en/

Starfighters Media Contact: FJET@gateway-grp.com

Starfighters Investor Contact: investors@starfightersspace.com

Vaya Media Contact: chris.servello@provisionadvisors.com

Source: Starfighters Space, Inc.

Key Terms

memorandum of understanding financial

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is a formal agreement between two or more parties that outlines their shared intentions and plans to work together. It acts like a handshake in writing, clarifying each side’s roles and expectations before any official contract is signed. For investors, an MOU signals that parties are serious about collaboration, which can influence future business opportunities and potential growth.

hypersonic technical

Hypersonic describes vehicles or weapons that travel at speeds greater than about five times the speed of sound (roughly over 3,800 mph), moving so fast they behave differently from ordinary aircraft. For investors it matters because development and deployment drive demand for specialized materials, engines, guidance systems and testing services, shaping defence and aerospace spending, supply chains and company valuations; think of it as the difference between a car and a supersonic bullet in terms of technical challenge and cost.

in-flight restart technical

A procedure in which an aircraft engine or significant onboard system is shut down and then started again while the plane is still airborne. Like restarting a stalled car engine without pulling over, it tests the machine’s ability to recover without landing and matters to investors because frequency, success rates and regulatory oversight of such restarts affect safety records, maintenance costs, certification status and the commercial reliability of aerospace products.