The present study deals with the evaluation of the propulsive performance of aluminum (Al)–water gelled composite propellant. Here, Al and water have been gelled using polyacrylamide as a gelling agent. Gelled propellants were tested in a motor of 60 mm in diameter with a cylindrical port burning configuration. The average combustion efficiency of 52.83% and an average Isp of 46 s were obtained for a gelled propellant prepared with nonactivated aluminum (pyral); whereas in the case of gelled propellants prepared with mechanically activated aluminum, the corresponding values were 70% and 62.4 s, respectively, which were obtained for a convergent nozzle. If these values were extrapolated to a chamber pressure of 70 bar and with a convergent–divergent nozzle that was optimally expanded, the specific impulse obtained would be 165.3 s. The use of activated aluminum in gelled propellants increased the combustion efficiency by nearly 15%, and the corresponding average residue was reduced from 53 to 27%. © 2019 by M. G. Gautham and P. A. Ramakrishna.