Ukraine used Flamingo missiles against Russia in March 2025, military says
Photo: FP-5 Flamingo missile (Ephraim Lukatsky, Associated Press)
The FP-5 Flamingo missile, developed by the Ukrainian company Fire Point, was first launched in the spring of 2025. It has significant potential, but it still needs further development, according to the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Dmytro Lykhovii, at a Fire Point press conference.
According to him, the missile "has strong declared tactical and technical characteristics and major potential for development," but at this stage it remains an experimental weapon.
"While the FP-1 drone has demonstrated significant effectiveness over years of widespread use and refinement, according to General Staff specialists, the FP-5 missile-drone still needs to go through that path," he explained.
He added that while the FP-1 drone underwent major upgrades over two years, doing the same with a missile is far more complicated.
Meanwhile, Fire Point's Chief Technical Officer, Iryna Terekh, said the production of Flamingo missiles is expanding and scaling up. The company is trying to stick to the plans announced earlier.
On November 21, Fire Point co-owner and chief designer Denys Shtilerman announced that the company aims to deliver its first serially produced ballistic missile to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of this year.
The new missile is expected to be a short-range ballistic weapon with a flight range of up to 200 km and will receive the FP-7 index. In 2026, the company plans to develop and deploy the FP-9 ballistic missile with a range of 850 km.
Ukraine's long-range weapons: the Flamingo missile
In August, AP correspondent Yefrem Lukatskyi shared the first photos of an unidentified cruise missile that he said was designed and manufactured in Ukraine. It was later confirmed to be the Flamingo.
The first confirmed use of the Flamingo was previously believed to have taken place on August 31 against FSB facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea. Shortly afterward, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially announced that Ukraine was actively developing long-range weapons.
The Flamingo's publicly disclosed specifications are:
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Range: 3,000 km
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Time in the air: over 4 hours
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Maximum speed: 950 km/h
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Cruise speed: 850–900 km/h
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Wingspan: 6 meters
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Maximum takeoff weight: 6 tons
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Warhead weight: 1 ton
Western media noted that, based on the declared specifications, the Flamingo surpasses the American Tomahawk cruise missile in several key parameters, including carrying a larger warhead and having a greater range.
