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Ukraine’s 3,000km Flamingo Cruise Missile Born in 9 Months—And It Started Out Pink
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
It took less than nine months to go from concept to the first combat use of Ukraine’s new long-range cruise missile, the “Flamingo,” according to Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh, who spoke with POLITICO on August 21.
The Kyiv-based defense firm developed and unveiled the missile, which is now already in serial production. Terekh said Fire Point plans to scale output to around 200 units per month by October.
On August 21, AP reported that the missile is currently rolling off the line at roughly one per day, with production expected to accelerate further.
POLITICO was shown exclusive footage of Flamingo test launches.
A day earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that the Flamingo cruise missile had successfully completed its first trials and would move into mass production in early 2026. “We need to look carefully at financing for this program,” Zelenskyy added.
Terekh stressed that the Flamingo is entirely Ukrainian-made.
“We came up with the idea fairly quickly. It took less than nine months to go from concept to the first successful battlefield trials,” she said. “I won’t tell you the exact speed, but I can say it’s faster than any other missile we currently have.”
The missile carries a 1,150-kilogram warhead and has a range of over 3,000 kilometers, while also being hardened against Russian electronic warfare systems, according to the company.
The name “Flamingo” and the missile’s original pink paint scheme started out as an inside joke about women’s often overlooked role in weapons manufacturing. Early production errors left the prototypes pink, a fact company insiders embraced.
“Our first missiles were pink; all the early tests were pink. Later, we had to change the color for military camouflage,” Terekh told POLITICO.
“But the woman responsible for production still works with us. There’s always been a female touch in these missiles.”
Terekh added that, unlike many weapons, the Flamingo didn’t need an intimidating name: “The important thing is that it works.”
Earlier, reports emerged that Ukraine has ramped up production of its long-range FP-1 drone, now reaching a rate of 3,000 units per month—comparable to Russia’s Shahed drone output.
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