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V–V₃Si eutectic alloys were directionally solidified in a high temperature optical floating zone furnace. Depending on the solidification conditions, several microstructures were observed, such as well-aligned broken lamellar, fibrous, or cellular microstructures. The interphase spacings increased with decreasing solidification rates in agreement with the Jackson-Hunt theory. The mechanical properties of the individual phases were investigated by nanoindentation. It was found that the modulus and nanoindentation hardness of V₃Si are 214 and 13.8 GPa, respectively, and those of the V solid-solution are 165 and 3.4 GPa, respectively. The high-temperature strength was examined by tensile testing at elevated temperatures. Preliminary results show that the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature is about 800 °C for this composite, and its strength is significantly higher than conventional V solid-solution alloys.