AlN ceramics are bonded using vanadium metal foils at high temperatures in vacuum. Different bonding temperatures were used in the range 1373-1773 K with bonding times of 0.3-21.6 ks. The AlN/V interfaces of the bonded joints were investigated using SEM, electron probe microanalysis and X-ray diffraction. A bonding temperature of 1573 K was found to be suitable to activate both parts to initiate a phase reaction at the interface, because a thin V(Al) solid solution layer formed adjacent to the ceramic at 1573 K just after 0.9 ks, and a small flake-shaped V2N reaction product formed inside the vanadium central layer. The formation of V(Al) and V2N controls the interfacial joining of the AlN/V system at 1573 K up to 5.4 ks bonding time. The pure vanadium layer quickly changed to vanadium-containing V2N. The diffusion path could be predicted for the AlN/V joints up to 0.9 ks at 1573 K following the sequence AlN/V(Al)/V2N/V, while after 0.9 ks, the interface structure changed to AlN/V(Al)/V2N + V by the growth of V2N into the vanadium. The AlN/V joints showed no ternary compounds at the interface. A maximum bond strength could be obtained for a joint bonded at 1573 K after 5.4 ks having a structure of AlN/V(Al)/V2N + V. At 7.2 ks, nitrogen, resulting from AlN decomposition, escaped and the remaining aluminium reacted with V(Al) to form V5Al8 intermetallic, which is attributable to the decrease in bond strength.