Click to see full-size image. (Fire Point)
Ukraine has developed a new land-attack cruise missile dubbed “Flamingo” with a claimed maximum range of 3,000 kilometers.
Efrem Lukatsky, a photojournalist of the Associated Press, was the first to reveal the existence of Flamingo in a post on Facebook on August 17. He said that the missile was developed by a Ukrainian company called Fire Point.
Efrem Lukatsky, head of the AP photo service, published a very interesting teaser: “Ukrainian-made over 3,000 km range Flamingo missiles, which were launched into serial production, are seen in a workshop of one of the country’s leading Fire Point defence company in an… pic.twitter.com/i1qvFDgaW4
— Denis Danilov (@DenisDanilovL) August 17, 2025
The very next day, Ukrainska Pravda released two videos of Flamingos being launched with the assistance of a detachable rocket booster from rails mounted on two two-axle trailers. The Ukrainian outlet also revealed that the missile carries a warhead weighing 1,150 kilograms.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talked briefly about the new missile during a sit-down with journalists on August 20.
“This is the most advanced missile we have so far. It has a range of 3,000 kilometers, which is notable,” he said, commenting on relevant media reports.
Zelensky added that Ukraine still has only a few such missiles and therefore he cannot say much about it yet. “We are not yet able to use hundreds of missiles. We will get more of them by December. And by late December or maybe in January or February, mass production should start,” he said.
The Flamingo appears to be identical to a cruise missile design called the FP-5 previously exhibited by Milanion. The similarities go into the specifications, as the FP-5 has the exact same range and nearly the same warhead weight as the Ukrainian missile.
The FP-5 uses a combination of methods, including various types of jamming-resistant satellite-aided navigation systems. Considering the similarities, it is very possible that the Flamingo features a very similar guidance system.
Milanion, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, has reportedly provided military technologies to Ukraine in the past.
Click to see full-size image. (Milanion)
Additional photos released by AP on August 21 revealed that the missile may be powered by a AI-25TL turbofan engine, which is used in the L-39 Albatros jet trainer.
The AI-25 series was originally developed by Ivchenko in what was then Soviet Ukraine. The country’s Motor Sich continues to produce versions to this day.
Ukraine’s giant Flamingo cruise missile appears to use an Ivchenko AI-25TL turbofan engine repurposed from an Aero L-39 jet trainer. pic.twitter.com/HCe5u2JHUq
— Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) August 21, 2025
Fire Point told AP that it currently builds around one Flamingo every day and is aiming to get that rate up to at least seven by October. The company also revealed to the news agency that the missile is accurate enough to land within 14 meters of its target.
On August 22, Russian military bloggers were able to geolocate the facility where AP photos were taken. The facility turned out to be a warehouse in the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, not a real factory as Fire Point attempted to imply.
Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
The unveiling of the missile came at a time when both Ukraine and Russia are preparing to engage in high-level talks on ending the conflict with help from the United States. Kiev may have amplified the capabilities of the Flamingo, or its ability to be mass produced in order to improve its stance in the talks.
Still, there is no denying that Ukraine has some experience with developing such systems. It previously converted Soviet-era Tu-141 and Tu-143 reconnaissance drones into cruise missiles, produced a land-attack version of the Neptune anti-ship cruise missile, and introduced drone-missile hybrids like the Palianytsia, Peklo, and Trembita.
Even if the Flamingo had just half of the range claimed by Ukraine, it would still pose a serious threat to Russia, as it would be able to reach most of the country’s western region, including the capital, Moscow.
While Russia has been working on improving its air defense and electronic warfare means, ultimately, it will have to target and destroy the development, production and storage facilities involved in the Flamingo project to contain this new threat for real.
Earlier this month, the Russian military and intelligence had success in stalling a Ukrainian project to mass produce the Sapsan, a tactical ballistic missile with a range of 700 kilometers and a warhead weighing 480 kg. With information on one of the facilities involved at least with the storage of Flamingo missiles obtained from open sources, it is not hard to imagine that this project will soon meet the same fate.
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no comment. as one at this point isn’t necessary.
such a missile can hit and sever putin’s kerch bridge. i bet that is a priority for zelensky, his junta and their nato masters. it will make big headlines around the world and will be a morale booster for ukraine and nato.
may be only then will putin stop being so nice to them bridges in the dnieper. nice guys finish last.
this was a nazi-try in 1941, a so called wunderwaffe and you too in the hopes for a wonder, stinking up on the same pile
black telephone rings. the 40’s are calling, from the last century. give the germans their v1 back!
milanion group company number 12951650, 65 delamere road, hayes, england, ub4 0nn (cheap accountants’ office). one director davinder singh dogra (director of 5 companies at same address), sole shareholder. 2023 assets 3605gbp, liabilities 40652gbp. in other words a fake company. everything shown is vaporware to scam potential investors.
how a.i. helps set up a fake company and boost its income by subsidy-sucking from the teats of the golden cow which is western national defense budgets. perfect.
i just read an article on the war zone dot com web site. about how a bunch of flamingos are going to land on volga bridges and other bridges. what will putin do then. will this turn in the war of the bridges.