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Inside the Flamingo: Ukraine’s Cruise Missile That May Carry US Warhead
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukrainian defense analysts say the country’s newest long-range cruise missile, the FP-5 “Flamingo,” is a weapon with surprising sophistication and firepower.
The Ukrainian manufacturer Fire Point has already begun assembling the FP-5 at a rate of about 30 missiles per month, with production expected to ramp up to as many as 210 per month by October, according to a report by Associated Press on August 21.
The details surfaced after AP aired footage from inside Fire Point’s production facilities, where the company’s technical director, Iryna Terekh, presented the missile to international media.
Ukrainian defense media outlet Defense Express noted that the “Flamingo” is being built by the same company that produces Ukraine’s FP-1 long-range strike drone, and that the missile closely matches a mock-up shown earlier this year by the UAE-based Milanion Group at the IDEX-2025 defense exhibition.
What stood out most to analysts, however, were the unusually detailed images showing both completed and partially assembled FP-5 missiles. In one sequence, four fully mounted Flamingos were visible on launchers, with several others in late stages of assembly.
The warhead appears to be of Western origin. Defense Express suggested it could be either a US-made Mk 84 general-purpose bomb (907 kg) or a BLU-109/B bunker-busting bomb of similar weight, which is capable of penetrating nearly two meters of reinforced concrete.
The missile’s published specifications claim a 1,150 kg warhead and a maximum range of up to 3,000 km—though these figures have not been independently confirmed.
The airframe itself appeared more advanced than previously assumed. Defense Express reported that the missile uses a fiberglass monocoque fuselage built with filament winding, a method commonly used in ballistic missiles.
This technique produces a lightweight but structurally strong body that can withstand heavy loads, reinforced further with external ribs. Because fiberglass is “radar-transparent,” it also reduces the missile’s visibility to radar compared with a similarly sized metal-bodied weapon.
👀 Ukraine’s new Flamingo missile was test-fired several months ago, according to ZNUA.
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) August 18, 2025
The combat trial was successful, with the missile striking its target. With a 1,150 kg warhead and a range of over 3,000 km, it is capable of destroying nearly any target deep inside Russia. pic.twitter.com/VJ58OpLksl
Both the nose cone and tail fairings are also constructed from radar-transparent composites, with only the engine gondola requiring heat-resistant materials.
On the engine itself, analysts identified a jam-resistant satellite navigation system with CRPA antennas, a setup known to resist electronic warfare, similar to Russia’s Kometa-M.
As for propulsion, one of the released images showed a jet engine that analysts could not definitively identify, but which strongly resembled those used in trainer aircraft such as the British Hawk or the Czech L-39.
That would align with earlier speculation about Fire Point adapting available aircraft engines for cruise missile applications.
Earlier, reports emerged that Ukraine was preparing to mass-produce a new long-range cruise missile that officials say could become one of the most powerful weapons in its arsenal—and a symbol of its rapidly advancing defense industry.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that successful tests of the missile, known as the Flamingo, have already taken place. He described it as “the most successful weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal to date,” though he declined to reveal further details until the country has hundreds ready for deployment.
