Video: This is the military drone that will fight alongside the pilots of the US Air Force.

The Valkyrie XQ-58A, a long-range, non-pilot subsonic fighter from the United States Air Force (USAF), completed its inaugural flight.

With a range of 3,500 kilometers, its goal is for the ship to ultimately be used for low-cost surveillance, attack and support for electronic warfare. Nicknamed the "loyal wingman", he would operate by providing support to piloted aircraft.

The Air Force Research Lab has teamed up with Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems to develop the XQ-58A, presented this March 5 at the Yuma Test Center in Arizona.

It is nine meters long and seven meters between the ends of the wings.

The project is part of the LCAAT initiative (attractive low-cost aircraft technology), which aims to reduce the rising cost of aircraft of tactical importance.

The objectives of the LCAAT initiative include the design and creation of faster drones through the development of better design tools and the maturation and operation of commercial manufacturing processes to reduce construction time and costs, according to a USAF statement.

Developed for stand-alone operation, the aircraft performed as expected and completed 76 minutes of flight time. The XQ-58A has a total of five test flights scheduled in two phases whose objectives include badessment of system functionality, aerodynamic performance, and launch and recovery systems.

"The XQ-58A is the first example of a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) clbad that features low costs of acquisition and operation, while still offering of fighting that changes the game, "said Doug Szczublewski, Program Manager XQ-58A of AFRL.