The Ukrainian Armed Forces has received a shipment of Flamingo long-range cruise missiles from domestic defense company Fire Point.
The handover marks a milestone in the weapons’ acquisition, amid ongoing criticism over its effectiveness and the secrecy surrounding its development.
Ukrainian photojournalist Efrem Lukatsky, a correspondent of The Associated Press, verified the update and published photographs of the delivery.
“While pseudojournalists and bloggers, under the control of Russian propaganda, are shouting that ‘everything is gone,’ the Fire Point company has handed another batch of Flamingo missiles to the military,” he stated.
The delivery follows President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement last September that tests of long-range weapons had been successful and that serial production was underway.
Fire Point’s Flamingo
The Flamingo, also called FP-5, is a ground-launched capability that weighs 6,000 kilograms (13,228 pounds), measures up to 14 meters (46 feet) long, and has a wingspan of 6 meters (20 feet).
It is equipped with a 1,150-kilogram (2,535-pound) warhead, an Ivchenko AI-25TL turbofan, and an inertial navigation system coupled with GPS and satellite navigation components for firing accuracy.
The missile has a top speed of 950 kilometers (590 miles) per hour, an altitude of 5,000 meters (16,404 feet), and an operational range of 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).
The Associated Press reported last August that the weapon was named “Flamingo” due to a manufacturing error in early versions, which caused its exterior to turn pink.
Update on FP-1 FPV Drones
Fire Point also manufactures FP-1 first-person view unmanned aerial systems used in strikes inside Russia.
Lukatsky said the kamikaze drones are involved in more than half of long-range launches against targets on Russian territory and described demand within the Ukrainian military as significant.
He added that a commander he is familiar with traveled from the front to Kyiv seeking ways to acquire additional systems, calling the attack drones “really effective.”
Fire Point leadership has previously said approximately 90 percent of FP-1 parts are produced in Ukraine and that the company plans additional manufacturing capacity in Europe to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
