FP-5 Flamingo

Fire Point

Company type	Private
Industry	Defense
Founded	2022
Headquarters	Ukraine
Key people	Iryna Terekh (CEO and service manager)
Products	FP-5 "Flamingo" cruise missile

Overview

The FP-5 "Flamingo" (Ukrainian: Фламі́нго, romanized: Flaminho [flɐˈmʲinɦɔ] ) is a Ukrainian-made, ground-launched cruise missile engineered by the defense company Fire Point. Unveiled on 18 August 2025, this missile carries a warhead weighing approximately 1,150 kg (2,540 lb) and boasts an operational range reaching 3,000 km (1,900 miles). Bearing a strong resemblance to the Milanion Group FP-5 cruise missile in design, the Flamingo has entered serial production with a monthly manufacturing goal of 210 units.

Development

Fire Point, a Ukrainian defence startup established by a group of friends from diverse non-military fields such as construction, game design, and architecture, initiated work on the FP-5 "Flamingo" missile following the 2022 Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The missile was unveiled to the public for the first time on 17 August 2025 during a test launch at a concealed site in southern Ukraine, captured by Associated Press photojournalist Efrem Lukatsky. On 20 August 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the commencement of mass production, describing the missile as "the most successful missile we have". The Associated Press indicated that the "Flamingo" nickname originated from an early batch of missiles mistakenly produced with a pink hue at the factory, although Fire Point’s CTO has denied this claim. In contrast, The Economist and Politico reported that the designation was chosen to emphasize the influence of women in leadership roles within the company, with prototype missiles painted pink to reinforce the name.

Observers and OSINT analysts have highlighted a notable resemblance between the FP-5 Flamingo and the FP-5 missile showcased by defence startup Milanion Group at IDEX 2025, including identical model numbers, design features, and performance specifications. Milanion Group is registered in the United Kingdom, but media sources suggest it operates out of the United Arab Emirates and had business engagements in Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion. One expert characterized Fire Point as functioning under Milanion's umbrella, leveraging Milanion's technology and networks to locally manufacture the FP-5. The Economist has suggested that some stages of production occur abroad, although Fire Point maintains that over 90% of final assembly takes place within Ukraine.

According to Ukrinform, this missile poses a threat to approximately 90% of Russia’s arms manufacturing infrastructure. Potential targets include:

• Oil refineries and energy systems – Fire Point representatives attribute their drones and missiles with contributing to airport closures and elevated fuel prices in Russia.
• Military manufacturing plants and weapons storage sites – designated as targets for the missile’s 1,150 kg (2,540 lb) warhead.
• Command hubs and critical infrastructure – prioritized due to the missile's strategic capabilities.

Design

The missile features a fixed, straight wing and a turbofan engine positioned atop the fuselage, giving it a superficial similarity to the V-1 flying bomb and the Ukrainian-developed Soviet-era reconnaissance drones Tu-141 and Tu-143. However, unlike the V-1 which utilized a pulsejet, and the Tu-141 and Tu-143 whose engines were embedded within the fuselage, this missile’s jet engine is externally mounted. At the rear, the fuselage incorporates four control surfaces arranged in an X-shaped configuration. The main body is primarily constructed from radar-transparent composite materials such as fiberglass, whereas the engine housing is made of metal to endure high operating temperatures. The jet engine is believed to be an Ivchenko AI-25 model manufactured by Ukraine’s Motor Sich, historically used in the Aero L-39 Albatros aircraft. Notably, this engine is considerably larger than those typically found on similar cruise missile systems.

The Flamingo’s warhead reportedly weighs approximately 2.5 times more than that of the American Tomahawk Block V cruise missile, with an estimated mass of 1150 kilograms. According to analysis from a Dutch military specialist cited by UkrInform, the missile appears to be a conventional aerial bomb adapted into a cruise missile through the addition of wings, a fuselage, and a jet engine. Photographs showing the warhead with its nose cone removed suggest it could be based on a modified FAB-1500 bomb. However, given the warhead's dimensions, it is unlikely to be the full 1500-kilogram FAB-1500; more plausible candidates include either a Mark 84 high-explosive bomb weighing around 2039 pounds or a bunker-buster BLU-109/B of similar weight. If employing a standard gravity bomb configuration, the warhead would weigh approximately 925 kilograms with an explosive filler around 430 kilograms, aligning more closely with warhead weights typical of comparable cruise missiles. The Flamingo’s declared operational range is roughly twice that of the publicly known range for the Tomahawk Block V, enabling it to engage targets throughout European Russia and as far east as Novosibirsk. Nevertheless, there has yet to be public confirmation of successful strikes at these extended distances.

Distinct from Western cruise missiles, Flamingo does not utilize advanced visual guidance technologies such as TERCOM or DSMAC but maintains a comparable speed of about 900 km/h. Its primary navigation system relies on satellite guidance equipped with a jamming-resistant controlled reception pattern antenna array. The missile’s claimed accuracy is within a circular error probable (CEP) of 14 meters under optimal conditions and at any range. This streamlined design aims to facilitate faster manufacturing processes. However, compared to the Tomahawk, Flamingo requires a longer pre-launch setup time—between 20 and 40 minutes—and has an almost fivefold greater takeoff weight. Ukrainian defense analysts acknowledge that Russian air defense systems are expected to intercept some FP-5 missiles but highlight the strategic advantage gained through coordinated attacks involving multiple types of weaponry.

Cost and affordability

In October 2025, the Czech crowdfunding campaign titled "Gift for Putin" ("Dárek pro Putina") successfully gathered about $520,000 (around 12.5 million Czech koruna) to acquire a Ukrainian-produced Flamingo cruise missile. This initiative, launched on October 22, 2025, reached its funding goal within roughly 48 hours. The fundraiser was specifically designed to cover the cost of a single missile as set by the manufacturer Fire Point. Following full payment, the missile—named DANA 1 to honor the late Czech nuclear safety expert Dana Drábová—was intended for delivery to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This particular fundraising effort offers a tangible benchmark for the pricing of individual Flamingo missiles. Various independent sources have confirmed comparable price estimates, which typically range from around $500,000 up to just under €1 million (approximately $1.09 million) per unit. Fire Point’s representative Iryna Terekh highlighted that the company deliberately targeted a low-cost design to facilitate widespread acquisition and enable potentially extensive strike capabilities.

When compared to the American Tomahawk cruise missile, which costs between $1.5 million and $2.5 million depending on the model, the Flamingo presents a more economical option despite offering roughly double the range and a considerably larger warhead. The cost-effectiveness of the Flamingo is largely due to streamlined design decisions such as utilizing refurbished Soviet-era AI-25TL turbofan engines originally from Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainers, employing a carbon-fiber airframe reportedly producible within six hours, and incorporating simple inertial navigation systems that sacrifice some accuracy in favor of reduced expenses.

Production

The commencement of Flamingo's serial manufacturing was reported to have started around mid-2025, initially producing roughly 30 missiles monthly. In an interview with Politico, Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh confirmed that the missile had successfully passed battlefield evaluations and entered full-scale production, aiming for a monthly output of 210 units by October. By September 2025, Fire Point declared an increase in Flamingo missile production from 30 units in August to 50 units per month, with ambitions to achieve a daily manufacturing rate of seven missiles before year-end. Iryna Terekh, the company’s service manager, reiterated that serial production was underway and emphasized scaling up as the key objective to fulfill enhanced production goals.

This missile system stands as Ukraine's most sophisticated long-range strike asset.

In September 2025, the Danish government revealed that a Fire Point subsidiary would begin producing solid rocket propellant for the Flamingo missile in Denmark, starting from 1 December 2025. To facilitate this, Denmark temporarily waived twenty laws and regulations to allow the establishment of the production facility.

Fire Point acquired a substantial quantity of Ivchenko AI-25 engines from multiple stockpiles. These engines had approximately ten hours of remaining operational life. Since these engines are not intended for jet aircraft use, Fire Point refurbishes them only to meet the Flamingo missile’s flight duration requirement of about three and a half hours. While earlier reports attributed these engines to Motor Sich, Fire Point stated they discovered “thousands” of such engines in various Ukrainian landfills. To reduce expenses, titanium components have been substituted with more affordable and easily manufactured alternatives to ensure flightworthiness. Additionally, engines are sourced from the roughly six thousand units still operational in aircraft like the L-39 Albatross and Hongdu JL-8 jet trainers across "post-Soviet countries, Asia, and Africa." Fire Point has also set up its own manufacturing plant for missile engines; however, it remains unclear whether these are produced under license for the Ivchenko AI-25 model or independently.

The warhead used is not produced by Fire Point. The current variant reportedly penetrates thick concrete and can reach depths of approximately 10 m (33 ft) underground. Development is ongoing for a cluster warhead along with several other warhead types. As of early September, production was running at two missiles daily, with efforts underway to automate processes aimed at achieving a monthly output of 200 by year’s end.

By 6 October 2025, The Economist reported that Ukraine was actively deploying Flamingo missiles against targets within Russia. Presently, Fire Point manufactures two to three missiles daily, with each unit costing around $500,000 US. The missile operates at an altitude near 50 m (160 ft) during flight.

Operational history

On 30 August 2025, Ukrainian sources announced the inaugural combat deployment of Flamingo missiles, targeting a Federal Security Service facility located in Crimea. Reports indicated that a minimum of three missiles struck the site, inflicting structural damage and reportedly impacting six hovercraft, with one Russian serviceman killed. Subsequent examination of satellite imagery revealed that one missile made a direct hit on a barracks building, another fell short of the hovercraft storage zone, and a third detonated near objects positioned east of the installation.

By 9 October 2025, both Russian authorities and the Ukrainian president acknowledged the initial operational use of the Flamingo missile. It was reported to have been employed in conjunction with the Neptune missile to strike targets within Russian territory.

On 10 October 2025, Russia announced its first successful interception of two Flamingo missiles, including one neutralized by a Buk missile system. Photographic evidence was provided, with claims that the intercepted missile was flying at an altitude of approximately 100 m (330 ft) and traveling at about 600 kilometers per hour.

See also

Related development

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• UJ-26 Template:Annotated link
• AN-196 Template:Annotated link
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Comparable missiles

• MGM-13 Mace – US cruise missile
• AGM-86 ALCM – US cruise missile
• BGM-109G Gryphon – US cruise missile
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External links

• Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles and Ukraine's "Flamingo" Perun, YouTube