Latest news with #Valkyrie
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
These Are Your Favorite Supercars
Is there anything more fun than a supercar? They're art, extreme engineering, and delirious sounds and speed all wrapped into one object, an object you can (if you're so lucky) interact with and be a part of. Driving a supercar is a rush few ever get to experience, but just being in the presence of a perfect marriage of form and function like a supercar can be pretty good too. After soaking in the rip-roaring fun that was the Goodwood Festival of Speed I had a lot of supercars on the brain. So I asked what your favorite supercars are, and it definitely delivered a hit of excitement I've been missing since I got home from England. None of these answers will surprise you, but it is fun to scroll through and listen to the engine exhaust notes of some of the most beautiful and powerful cars in history. Read more: These Are Lesser-Known Automotive YouTubers Our Readers Say Deserve More Attention Accept No Substitutes McLaren F1. It has been surpassed, but it will always be the greatest to me. And even though I'm a proponent of real colors on cars, I'd take one in gray. and But it held the title of fastest NA car for over 20 years, I think it wasn't until the Valkyrie that it was finally beat. And the F1 is a more usable car in almost every possible sense of the word. Holding that kind of record for that long is a hell of a feat. Especially when you realize top speed wasn't even on Gordan Murray's mind when he designed it. From Stillnotatony and Liffie420 A Gen Z/Elder Millennial Favorite Countach. As I got older, I know there are better ones available, both before and after it, but the Countach stands out as THE supercar that defined the class when I was a kid. Besides, speaking as a former teenage boy from the glory days of supercar poster days, the super flat nose to windshield shape allowed something I was even more interested with than the underlying car to lay on this area. and Countach for me too. There's countless modern supercars out there that would be easier to live with and that beat it on performance, but it's like a first love, troubled or not the impressions last a lifetime. Somewhere I have a photo of me when I first moved out to CA, the first thing I put up in my room was my large poster of a black Countach that I brought from RI. Wonder what ever happened to that! Might have to get another. From hoser68 and Dan60 Nothing Like A Ferrari F50 This may be controversial, but Ferrari F50. First of all, it has to be a Ferrari because everyone is a Ferrari fan even if they're not a Ferrari fan. Then there is plenty to like with light weight, a V12, a manual and a removable hardtop like a Corvette that gives you the best of both worlds. It lives in the shadow of the F40, but I think it's the better car and its looks have aged very well. Of course I probably will never be able to afford one, but maybe I'll get to drive one someday. From fabey The Grumpy Jalopnik Response To be completely honest, none. Anything that is outside of being able to be acquired by a relatively normal person on a reasonable budget is basically fictional. Recently did some mountain road driving near Santa Cruz and was seeing Porsches and Ferraris and McLarens driving around and I didn't actually get excited until we saw an ST205 Celica GT-Four park across the street, and I turned to my partner and I was like 'That is definitely the coolest, and very possible the rarest car we will see today.' I also happened to be pulled over for speeding at a common resting point at the time, so the fact that it pulled me out of my annoyance at getting a speeding ticket is pretty significant. From Ian One Of The Most Beautiful Cars Ever Built Of all time? Miura. I had a Matchbox car of a Miura when I was a child. There was something magical about them. I finally saw one, live and in-person, a few summers ago. I couldn't stop staring. Whatever you think the Miura is, it's more. From JohnnyWasASchoolBoy Another Wonderful-Sounding Engine From Ferrari I have begrudgingly become a Porsche fan. I drove a 996 last year and kind of bought it with utter annoyance that it was as good as everybody says they are. Anything faster than my slowest variant of the 996 but of little interest to me personally. I couldn't actually use anything faster on the road. Which is why I have little interest in supercars or hypercars - especially the modern ones with nine million horsepower, carbon brakes, and active aero. I know my opinion dates me. It makes me feel very old. But, if I'm going to pick a supercar it's going to be older, slower, and have some real flaws. My personal top three are the Ferrari 288, the Jaguar XJ220, and the Bugatti EB110. All three are gorgeous. The Ferrari isn't outrageously powerful, so it's still at the top of my list, where it has been since it was new and I was a little kid. From Poorsche The Unforgettable Car Built By A Tuning Company I've always had a place in the supercar lust for a Saleen S7. The craziness of the project that brought it to life and the great racing history are fantastic. Plus it looks great. and I'd have to agree about the Saleen S7 LM. Low-slung with fins and scoops galore. This beauty has been on my mind ever since Bruce Almighty transformed his 240Z and galloped away with it. Even kind of looks like it could be the American version of an NSX-R GT. Nowadays, almost all supercars ape this look and it's become homogenized, but in the early aughts...(chef's kiss)! From Cluck and DW Absolute Perfect Lexus LFA. The story behind its development, including sound engineers from Yamaha Music tuning the exhaust, is one of the best things ever. But don't take my word for it. and There is a strong tendency to look at the LFA on paper and compare it to its contemporaries, which is the wrong approach. From everything I have read, the car is an absolute work of art created by Toyota's top craftsmen. Despite not being the absolute top performer of the era, it is still a thrilling car to drive. From half man half bear half pig and Stephen Another Absolute Stunner Second gen Ford GT. LOVE the lack of the snob factor with that car. Others are faster, better looking, and have custom interior that took 1,000+ hours to build by hand but the snob factor ruins them. The best super car-lite is the final 1997 911 Turbo S. Subtle changes on it and more about go than show. It is the antithesis of a Ferrari with their crest painted on the fenders in bright yellow to say "LOOK AT ME I AM IN A FERRARI". From Tex Go With Your Gut I gotta go with the Porsche 959. If you need me to give you the logic behind my choice, I think your missing the point. The answer to 'Your Favorite Supercar?' should be based on gut, not reasoning. and I do miss the Ferrari F40/Porsche 959/Lamborghini Countach arguments of the late 1980s. The 959 was the tech marvel with the slick AWD system and everything computer controlled in an analog era. The Ferrari F40 was the banshee of the bunch. That puny V8 turbo, zero creature comforts, screaming even at idle. And the old guard Lamborghini that was on every car fan's poster with the huge wing, fat tires, and massive V12. And the arguments started there. From Crucial Taunt and Xavier96 A Commenter In The Here And Now We're in 2025. Let's keep the past where it belongs. It's been 30 something years since the Mclaren F1 came to the streets. Stop the nostalgia. The De Tomaso P72, in red with golden wheels, AKA, the most beautiful car of this century, combines the curvaceous style of the golden era with carbon fiber, unmatched beauty, luxury, exclusivity and usability, despite it's price and (probably) maintenance cost. It's as fast as an ordinary driver can deal, probably reliable, thanks to it's Ford Coyote based V8, that sounds reasonably aggressive and it has a stick shift. It has a badge full os history and tradition. It's not an obvious choice, almost a connouseur machine. Ticks all my boxes. From Danilo Dantas Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Kratos (KTOS) Stock Is Trading Up Today
What Happened? Shares of aerospace and defense company Kratos (NASDAQ:KTOS) jumped 4.8% in the afternoon session after the company announced a partnership with Airbus to develop a European variant of its XQ-58A Valkyrie drone. The collaboration aimed to deliver a combat-ready version of the uncrewed combat aircraft for the German Air Force by 2029. The Valkyrie is a low-observable drone designed for long-range missions, capable of operating independently or in tandem with manned aircraft. Under the agreement, the flight-proven Valkyrie will be equipped with a mission system made by Airbus. The partnership was seen as a significant step for Kratos, positioning it to meet the urgent demand from European customers for advanced, uncrewed combat systems. The joint project also reinforced trans-Atlantic cooperation within NATO. After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $57.03, up 2.9% from previous close. Is now the time to buy Kratos? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us Kratos's shares are very volatile and have had 28 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. The previous big move we wrote about was 5 days ago when the stock gained 3.1% on the news that the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated its "Overweight" rating and $60 price target on the company. The firm's positive stance was based on the belief that the market was underestimating the growth potential of Kratos, especially concerning its X-58 drone program. Cantor Fitzgerald noted that while the drone market is competitive, the X-58 was well-positioned as military strategies shifted towards valuing attrition-lethality frameworks, which refers to the ability to sustain combat effectiveness despite losses. This analyst action followed other recent positive news for the defense technology company, including the U.S. Marine Corps' decision to move the XQ-58 Valkyrie drone into a Program of Record, which transitions it into production. Additionally, Noble Capital recently raised its price target on Kratos to $60, citing growth opportunities in both defense and commercial markets. Kratos is up 116% since the beginning of the year, and at $57.03 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $59.12 from July 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Kratos's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $3,202. Unless you've been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. While Nvidia and AMD are trading close to all-time highs, we prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) semiconductor stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report on our favorite semiconductor growth story.
Top Gear
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Le Mans Ultimate review: does this endurance racing sim have staying power?
Gaming Good chance of it, considering it's packed with the most exciting racing machinery operating anywhere in the world Skip 5 photos in the image carousel and continue reading It feels like every racing sim these days debuts in unfinished, so-called 'early access' form. It's not something many other types of purchase can get away with; you wouldn't take a date to a restaurant, pay for full meals and be happy with just starters. Though yes, we confess, it does sound like we've just described tapas. Le Mans Ultimate arrived in February of last year in Steam Early Access, and while it was absolutely unfinished at the time, it at the very least landed with plenty of content. The entire 2023 Le Mans field and all the circuits from that year's World Endurance Championship were included and since then the sim has been kept bang up to date with DLC packs introducing new cars and circuits to represent the 2024 and 25 seasons. Advertisement - Page continues below As of now, the base game is considered completed and this 1.0 update arrives in some style. For a start, it brings with it the outrageous Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR LMH, the race-spec version of Aston's hypercar, complete with its screaming V12. If you aren't aware, real-world sportscar racing is currently enjoying a golden era of manufacturer support, meaning Le Mans Ultimate features arguably the most exciting contemporary racing machinery operating anywhere in the world. Avert your eyes, Formula One. These cars, along with a field of the ever popular GT3 machines, have helped position Le Mans Ultimate as the only credible threat to iRacing ' s simracing stranglehold. Le Mans Ultimate was built on the rock-solid foundation of rFactor 2's physics engine, but it's been refined and elevated to offer the most convincing, communicative handling model in sim racing. Every time you spin off the circuit, it's embarrassingly obvious that it was 100 per cent your own fault. You might like It's a good job the game is so fundamentally satisfying to drive, because it's still lacking a career or championship mode to provide connective tissue between single player races. If the idea of venturing onto an online multiplayer server fills you with dread, you're stuck with just individual race weekends against AI drivers. A proper, in-depth career mode is apparently in development, but won't be arriving until next year. More tapas, anyone? The game has already been embraced by online racers, though, and this 1.0 version will finally support multiplayer driver swaps for longer online endurance races. These epic, multi-hour scheduled events popularised by iRacing are designed be tackled as a team and are the most involving and challenging experiences in simracing, to the point where even Max Verstappen can't resist competing in them even if it clashes with a F1 race weekend. Advertisement - Page continues below Back in February last year, we reckoned Le Mans Ultimate was worth a punt even in its Early Access form. This full release reassures us that we made the right call a year and a half ago. It's still structurally a slim offering for solo players, but the handling model is second to none, the selection of cars and circuits is excellent and the online competition is justifiably pulling people away from tending to their precious iRacing driver rating. Le Mans Ultimate is one of the few racing sims that might make you feel like a 24 hour race isn't long enough... Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
XQ-58 Valkyrie Heading To European Market With Kratos-Airbus Team-Up
Airbus Defense and Space has teamed up with Kratos Defense and Security Solutions to provide the stealthy XQ-58A Valkyrie drone to the German Luftwaffe. The development could see the Valkyrie being offered to a range of other European nations, alongside Germany, potentially filling an emerging niche for 'loyal wingman'-type drones, along with other roles, with a number of air forces. The partnership between Airbus and Kratos will see the European firm equip the XQ-58A with a new mission system, details of which otherwise remain scarce, other than the fact that it will feature a 'platform-agnostic system architecture,' meaning that it can be integrated into the U.S.-made drone and others more easily. TWZ approached Kratos for more details on what the changes would involve, as well as the broader aims of the program, and was told that the new partnership aimed to achieve 'an affordable, low-risk, high-capability Collaborative Combat Aircraft optimized for German/European defense applications.' Eric DeMarco, CEO of Kratos, described the new version of the Valkyrie as being 'tuned' for the European mission, suggesting that it will feature specific modifications for operators in the region. In a statement, Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defense and Space, doesn't refer explicitly to a German plan involving the XQ-58A, but notes that 'our customers have expressed an urgent demand for both attritable and non-attritable Collaborative Combat Aircraft.' By teaming up with Kratos, Airbus will be able to 'deliver crucial capabilities for our warfighters in Europe before the end of the decade.' Airbus says that the plan is for the 'Europeanized' drone to be ready for the Luftwaffe by 2029. At this stage, it's not clear if the German Ministry of Defense has a specific requirement to buy the XQ-58A, but there are certainly signs that it wants to introduce a similar platform in the future. It should also be recalled that Kratos has, in the past, said that it was developing two new drone designs, Apollo and Athena, with a particular focus on collaborative operations with other crewed and uncrewed aircraft, and an eye toward sales in Europe. The modular Apollo and Athena designs are smaller than the XQ-58A and could be configured to carry weapons, electronic warfare systems, or additional sensors, as you can read about here. However, Kratos told TWZ that the new partnership with Airbus is not related to Apollo and Athena. Meanwhile, last summer, Airbus unveiled a stealthy CCA-like concept of its own, known as Wingman. At the time, Schoellhorn said that the Luftwaffe had 'expressed a clear need' for a drone that would be able to operate in conjunction with crewed fighters before the arrival in service of the pan-European Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The FCAS program is aiming for service entry in the 2040s, with a crewed New Generation Fighter (NGF) as its centerpiece. Schoellhorn noted that the Wingman would be expected to enter service in the 2030s timeframe. Somewhat larger than the XQ-58A, the Wingman currently exists only as a concept aircraft, while the Valkyrie has been flying since 2019. Potentially, Germany might be looking to acquire the XQ-58A as an interim platform pending the arrival of the Wingman, although the company's plans suggest it will be looking to find a market for the 'Europeanized' drone with NATO members across the continent. Germany, for its part, would certainly seem to be a candidate for a CCA-type drone, especially as an uncrewed companion that it wants to have work alongside its forthcoming Eurofighter EK electronic warfare jets. However, an Airbus official told Breaking Defense that, at this point, the XQ-58A is not being pitched for this Electronic Combat Wingman program. That is somewhat surprising, especially considering the fact that the Valkyrie has previously been tested in an electronic warfare capacity, and an EW version of the drone exists as a program of record for the U.S. Marine Corps. Regardless, the potential of a drone of this kind could also be harnessed by other German Eurofighters, which undertake a range of air defense and air-to-ground missions, as well as the F-35A stealth jets it also has on order. Noteworthy is the fact that the F-35 is slated to work together with CCAs, as well, with the combination of the stealth jet and complementary drones being a key facet of the planned future U.S. Air Force force posture. Airbus describes the XQ-58A as a runway-independent rail-launched drone, which could also be especially interesting for European air forces, allowing them to conduct dispersed operations and to forward-launch the drones close to NATO's eastern border. The drones can even be launched from forward locations out of shipping containers, to maximize range and loiter time, with crewed fighters joining up with them from deeper, more protected bases. At the same time, it remains possible that the new version of the drone might at least be offered with built-in landing gear. Kratos first announced that a version of the drone with tricycle-type wheeled landing gear was in the works last year, and this might present certain advantages over the original runway-independent design. Meanwhile, there also exists the ability to launch the Valkyrie from a wheeled launch trolley, if required. It's notable that, before the Wingman concept, Airbus worked on other advanced uncrewed aircraft programs. Chief among these is the Barracuda, work on which began in 2003, initially as a 'black program.' After six test campaigns, the Barracuda — which has a striking resemblance to the XQ-58A — was retired. Experience and data from the drone have been fed into FCAS, which is also planned to include interaction of crewed and uncrewed aircraft, with 'remote carrier' drones of different sizes being among the latter. Whatever Germany's plans for the Valkyrie, the partnership with Airbus appears very well timed to bring a relatively proven 'loyal wingman'-type drone to the European market. With increasing tensions between NATO and Russia, air forces are paying much more attention to more affordable ways of usefully boosting combat mass. This could be a real boost for the XQ-58A, especially since it was absent from the first tranche of the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. Ultimately, General Atomics and Anduril were selected to build flying prototypes of their designs, now designated YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, respectively, under CCA's Increment 1, but the Valkyrie could well still have a chance for follow-on tranches. Meanwhile, the U.S. Marine Corps has been testing the Valkyrie extensively and, earlier this year, Kratos confirmed that it was close to final configurations of the drone for the service. It's unclear what the Marine Corps variants will be, but Kratos has previously said it was working on at least five XQ-58 variants, including one that was optimized for electronic attack. For many years, defense spending across Europe — and not just in Germany — saw air forces reduced in size and lose some of their previous capabilities. A renewed emphasis on defense and the potential of uncrewed assets could open significant new markets for the XQ-58A, especially as air forces look for lower-cost ways of rebuilding combat mass. Contact the author: thomas@ Solve the daily Crossword
India.com
15-07-2025
- India.com
What is XQ-58 Valkyrie? Deadly drone which could replace fighter jets in future, it is developed by..., range is...
New Delhi: for those who have watched the Tom Cruise movie, Top Gun: Maverick, this will sound familiar. Now that the major military powers of the world like the USA, China, Turkey, and India are working on their drone technology along with the new and advanced fighter jets, it begs the question, do we really need to spend billions on fighters when drones are the future sky warriors? What is XQ-58 Valkyrie drone? In this regard, we will talk about a smart combat drone named XQ-58 Valkyrie, which is designed to fly alongside fighter jets. It is a long-range drone equipped with Artificial Intelligence technology and is cost effective. This system is being viewed as a military tool that could change the scenario of future air combat. Given its impressive, encompassing varied features, can it replace fighter jets? The XQ-58 Valkyrie is a combat drone built by Kratos Defence, an American technology company with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military electronics. The XQ-58 Valkyrie is designed to fly with manned jets and can carry bombs or missiles. Currently, it is being tested by the US Air Force and Marine Corps as a 'loyal wingman' for future missions. What are range and speed of XQ-58 Valkyrie? The XQ-58 Valkyrie can fly up to 3,000 miles (4,800 km) without refuelling and can reach speeds of around 650 miles per hour (1046 km/h). It can touch cruise speed of 548 miles per hour (882 km/h) and its service ceiling is 45,000 ft (14,000 m). These features allow it to travel long distances and support missions far from the base, according to Kratos and Air Force reports. Cost and production Each Valkyrie drone costs about $4-6 million, depending on the version and order size. If more than 100 are built per year, the price could drop to $2 million per drone. This makes it much cheaper than traditional fighter jets. How does XQ-58 Valkyrie function? The XQ-58 Valkyrie drone can be launched from a trailer using rockets or from a runway with a special trolley. It lands by parachute. What makes this drone even more effective is its ability to fly alone, in groups, or alongside piloted jets. It uses artificial intelligence to follow mission plans or respond to pilot commands. Valkyrie is designed to carry bombs, missiles, or sensors in its internal bay or on its wings. It can be used as a spy drone to detect enemy positions, jam signals, or attack targets. Its low cost makes it even more efficient. Can it replace fighter jets? Given the scale at which different militaries are working on the next generation fighter jets along with combat drones, it is hypothetical, yet practical at the same time to assume that drones like Valkyrie could pose a serious competition to fighter jets and substantially reduce the risk to human pilots. As reported, recently, F-35 and F-16 jets have controlled Valkyrie drones in flight, showing how manned and unmanned aircraft can work together. The future of air combat As discussed above, hi-tech AI drones like XQ-58 Valkyrie may soon become an integral part of the air forces just like fighter jets. Moreover, they don't cost much, have an operational long range and most importantly can work in tandem with the fighter jets. The future of aerial combat does look like to be set for an overhaul with the drones playing a key part.
