Ukraine has developed a new cruise missile called “Flamingo.” With a range of 3,000 kilometers and a powerful warhead, the new guided missile could reach much of Russia. Mass production of the weapon is already in full swing, and experts see it as a possible turning point. The “Flamingo FP-5” by the Ukrainian arms company Fire Point can strike targets up to 3,000 kilometers away and thus reach the entire European part of Russia, reports Politico.
The cruise missile is equipped with a 1,150-kilogram warhead, giving it enormous destructive power. “While Ukraine’s allies debate how to provide security guarantees for the country, Kyiv is working on its own method to keep Russia in check,” the political magazine explained. In other words: Kyiv is creating facts on the ground. A Flamingo as a Weapon The “Flamingo” could open up completely new military options for Ukraine.
Due to its enormous range, it would be possible to strike strategically important targets deep inside Russia. Unlike Western-supplied weapons, a domestic development is not subject to restrictions on striking targets in Russian territory. The combination of high speed and a very large warhead also enables the destruction of bunkers or other heavily fortified installations. According to Iryna Terekh, CEO of Fire Point, it took less than nine months to develop the missile from the initial idea to successful battlefield tests.
The guided missile is faster than all other models in Ukraine’s arsenal and is produced entirely in Ukraine. Mass production has already begun, with around 200 units to be manufactured each month. President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed to journalists that Ukraine will have a much larger number of these weapons by December. He also noted that funding for the program must be secured.
The cost of a single “Flamingo” is still unclear. Name Likely an Inside Joke According to the company, the name and original color scheme of the weapon originated as an inside joke about the role of women in the arms industry. “Our first rockets were pink; they passed all the tests in pink, but later we had to change the color due to military camouflage requirements. But the woman in charge of production is still there. Women are in charge of the rockets,” Terekh explained. “This is something like a ‘Big Dick Energy’ moment for women.”
She added that a weapon capable of flying 3,000 kilometers doesn’t need a frightening name. Unlike smaller drones, the “Flamingo” is designed to sustainably destroy strategically important targets such as oil refineries, power plants, or military airports. By comparison, a previous strike on a Russian oil refinery used a Neptune missile with a 150-kilogram warhead. The “Flamingo” has nearly eight times the explosive power.
Experts See a Turning Point Missile expert Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo described the weapon to Politico as Ukraine’s “strongest security guarantee.” According to his estimates, between 3,000 and 5,000 of these weapons could destroy more than a quarter of Russia’s economic output, making further aggression unprofitable for Moscow. The Russian state news agency TASS tried to downplay the significance of the new weapon. U.S. President Donald Trump also commented on social media, stating that it is very difficult to win a war without striking the aggressor’s country.
“In the current war of attrition, the mass production of the ‘Flamingo’ is an important signal. Ukraine is now in a position to quantitatively counter Russia’s strategic air war, which is being waged with drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. While the FP-1 (drone) will be used to overload Russian air defenses, the FP-5 will penetrate the air defense shield and strike targets with precision,” said Colonel Markus Reisner to Krone.
The Goal Is Deterrence It remains to be seen how effective the guided missile really is. Kyiv published images of missiles with the serial numbers “479” and “480.” The message to Russia is clear, according to Reisner: “We will soon strike en masse deep inside Russian territory!”
