[Video] Soaring with flames... Successful first test flight of European model ‘U740 Valkyrie’

(Seoul = Yonhap News) The U740 Valkyrie, a European variant based on the U.S. Air Force's unmanned cooperative fighter (CCA) 'XQ-58A Valkyrie', succeeded in its first test flight.

On the 12th (local time), European defense company Airbus released a 30-second video of the first test flight of the U740 Valkyrie recently conducted at a test facility in Northern Europe on X (old Twitter).

The released video shows the rocket booster mounted on the rear of the U740 Valkyrie mounted on a mobile launcher igniting, emitting huge flames and instantly kicking the launcher rail and soaring into the sky.

“The flight achieved all objectives, including rocket-assisted takeoff, maneuvering at various altitudes and speeds up to Mach 0.8, and mid-flight mission modifications,” Airbus said.

The U740 Valkyrie is an unmanned fighter aircraft developed by Airbus modifying and cooperating with the European model based on the XQ-58A Valkyrie aircraft developed by Kratos, an American defense company.

The existing hardware, such as the XQ-58A Valkyrie's fuselage, jet engine, and rocket assist launch (RATO) system, is equipped with Airbus' own autonomous mission system (MARS), which acts as a 'European brain'.

Joint formation flight tests with manned fighters such as the Eurofighter Typhoon are also planned to be conducted in late 2027. Take a look at the video.