The Valkyrie’s Maiden Flight and the Digital Map Deal
"Five seconds to engine start, four seconds... Switch ON!" With a thunderous roar, the engine ignited. The Valkyrie lifted off from the launch pad, ascending into the sky as the ground controller verified the status of every system monitored by the technicians.
"Engine systems, nominal! Data link, nominal!" As the technicians reported no issues, the controller checked the Valkyrie’s current position.
"Confirming current position!" At the controller's request, the coordinator responsible for coordinates replied, "Currently 3km offshore to the south, altitude 5,000."
Confirming the Valkyrie had reached a safe altitude, the controller immediately radioed the TA50 pilot. "This is ground control. TA50 Unit #1, come in!"
"This is TA50 Unit #1!"
"The Valkyrie is flying 3km south offshore at an altitude of 5,000. I am handing over control to the TA50."
"Visual contact confirmed. I am accepting control."
The TA50 pilot flipped the data link switch and immediately transitioned to the software-implemented formation flight mode. "Data link ON! Initiating formation flight!"
Once the TA50 and the Valkyrie began two-way data communication, the ground station transferred full control. The pilot selected the "line abreast" formation and watched how the Valkyrie reacted. "Scenario #1: Entering line abreast formation."
As the command was issued, the Valkyrie, which had been flying ahead, slowed down and moved alongside the TA50, maintaining a distance of 100 meters. The observers at the ground station focused intently on the radar screen as the two aircraft aligned. The controller issued the next command: "TA50, change course gradually!"
"Roger that! Turning nose to the right."
The pilot began to bank right, and the Valkyrie mirrored the movement perfectly. With the Valkyrie safely turning, the controller issued the same command for other directions. Seeing no issues, they moved to the next scenario.
"Scenario #2: Transitioning to column formation."
"Roger that! Initiating forward mode in column formation."
As the pilot touched the Valkyrie control screen, the drone moved from the side to a position directly in front of the TA50. They observed the Valkyrie’s response while turning the aircraft left and right. Once the forward mode test was complete, they immediately began the rear mode test, where the Valkyrie shifted to trail behind the TA50.
Having completed two of the test scenarios, the controller looked at the final one and called the ground crew. "This is the controller! Ground crew, come in!"
"Yes, go ahead."
"The Valkyrie's first flight is complete. Prepare for aircraft recovery."
Following the instructions, the ground crew double-checked the nets installed on the Starlink Aviation runway and the mats laid out on the ground. The TA50 pilot guided the Valkyrie near the facility and radioed the controller. While the pilot could have guided the landing, they had decided to let the ground station handle it to verify the safety of the recovery system and prepare for emergencies.
"This is TA50. 5km to landing. Handing over control."
"Transmission received. Recovery in 5 seconds, 4 seconds... Recover!"
After handing over control, the TA50 pilot moved behind the Valkyrie to observe its movements. The Valkyrie slowly lowered its altitude and began its approach to the airport. The controller, tense for the first recovery, barked, "Check altitude!"
"Approach angle and altitude are normal."
A moment later, as the Valkyrie appeared over the Starlink runway, the observers turned their eyes from the radar screens to the actual aircraft approaching from the sea. As the Valkyrie descended, the Starlink emergency response team near the nets prepared fire extinguishers and fire trucks, watching the landing process closely.
The Valkyrie, having slowed down, entered the area of the double nets, cut its engine, and struck the mesh. The net rippled, and the Valkyrie was brought to a halt. As the first net fell away and the drone came to a complete stop against the second net, settling onto the mattress, the Starlink staff approached cautiously.
Fortunately, there was no fire. The ground controller signaled that it was safe, and the staff approached the Valkyrie to check for external damage. Taesik, accompanied by Lieutenant General Choi Young-gyu, also approached to inspect the craft. The staff began noting in their report that some of the paint had peeled off and there were a few dents.
Lieutenant General Choi, watching alongside him, remarked, "Representative, the recovery system is quite stable. It doesn't look like there's any major damage externally."
"Yes, visually it seems fine. We'll need to conduct a precision inspection to be sure."
The Starlink staff used a crane to lift the Valkyrie onto the aircraft mooring device. Aside from the slight indentations on the surface, no other issues were observed. CEO Jo Yoon-je approached Taesik after hearing the staff's report.
"Representative, there are no major problems with the Valkyrie after the recovery. The preliminary judgment is that it's in good condition, but we will make a final determination after non-destructive testing."
"I'm glad the first flight went well. What is the schedule for additional tests?"
"We confirmed the initial flight safety today. The remaining flight safety evaluations will take at least eight weeks. And weapons testing should be possible in three months."
After encouraging the staff, Taesik was leaving the runway when he noticed a group of East Asian visitors and asked CEO Jo, "Today is the flight test for the Valkyrie, a classified project. Should there be foreigners here?"
"I apologize. The Philippine government requested to purchase T50 aircraft, so a due diligence team is visiting Starlink Aviation. Since sales are a priority, we had no choice but to accommodate their schedule."
"Is that so...? How many are they thinking of?"
"They mentioned a scale of 12 units, and they want to import the FA50, not the TA50 tactical lead-in fighter trainer."
"Ever since you took office, CEO Jo, T50-series exports have been increasing."
"I'm still worried because we haven't had much success outside of East Asia and the Middle East. We need to break into the European and American markets, but we don't have the capacity yet."
"No, that's not it. Fighter jet exports are difficult for Starlink to achieve on its own. It won't be easy without government support. I'm sorry. If I had a better relationship with the government, I could have given you more leverage..."
"Not at all. We are doing just fine on our own. Following the Philippines, Thailand is also showing interest, so I believe we can achieve our highest export performance this year. And once the high-end aircraft design is complete, it will help even more with exports."
Upon arriving in Seoul, Taesik met with President Ryu Kwang-soo and Team Leader Son Kyung-chan, who had come to report. Taesik asked, "You say the telecommunications companies want to buy our Starlink digital maps?"
"Yes. As smartphones become widespread, each carrier wants to launch their own navigation app."
"Aren't there other domestic companies?"
"Domestic companies are for the domestic market, but it seems they plan to provide navigation services globally. As you know, Starlink is the only one that possesses digital maps for the entire world, so it's an inevitable choice for the carriers."
"What did Sane from Starlink Map say?"
Since President Ryu had been in direct contact with Sane, he answered instead. "They said that without our map upgrades, the data is useless, so they gave us the green light to sell."
"Then are we the ones selling it? Or is Starlink Map selling it?"
"It seems we should act as the middleman. For domestic maps, we provide the information we have, and for overseas maps, we should act as the broker instead of Starlink Map."
"Has there been any talk of specific pricing? Is it a bulk sale, or will it be priced by download count?"
"The carriers are talking about 5 billion won for a bulk purchase of the South Korean digital map."
"That's a lower amount than I thought."
"Since it's a recurring annual purchase cost, it seems they proposed the minimum amount."
"How much are they offering for maps of other countries?"
"We are currently negotiating only for the US, Europe, and Japan, which Koreans visit frequently, and we intend to charge based on the area."
"The amount itself won't be very high, then."
"No. They said they would develop the navigation software based on the digital maps themselves, so it's hard to expect much profit."
"If we sell the digital maps, we might be creating unnecessary competitors."
"Yes. That's why I judged that your decision was necessary, Representative."
"Hmm... Let's proceed with the sale for now."
"Are you sure?"
"Let's expand the smartphone navigation market a bit. No matter what navigation app the carriers launch, they have no choice but to use our digital maps, so we have the upper hand. The more navigation apps are known to the public, the more it will promote our own Starlink navigation app."
"Understood. I will begin the contract immediately."
"And once the carriers launch their navigation apps, please monitor their features. If they have any ideas more ingenious than ours, we should imitate them."
Currently, the South Korean navigation market was largely divided into two. There were those who used vehicle-mounted navigation systems and those who used navigation apps on smartphones mounted in their cars. The public was gradually shifting from buying standalone navigation devices to using factory-installed ones. Companies that produced navigation devices began launching dashcams to record vehicle accidents to survive, and the sales of navigation terminals sold by Starlink Communication naturally declined, leading President Ryu to frequently lament the reduced revenue.
"Representative, Starlink Communication's revenue has been declining recently. How about we enter the dashcam market as well?"
"No. Dashcams are outside our scope of business, so leave that to the small and medium-sized enterprises."
"Sigh! I'm so worried because the sales of navigation terminals are dropping rapidly."
"Now, let's start the internet business."
"Are we finally starting? I've been very worried about the small satellites that haven't been generating revenue."
"But revenue won't rise all at once. The satellite internet market in Korea is small, and most of the revenue is generated overseas, so we must create a product that is as simple and affordable as possible."