Ukraine Tests First Long-Range Cruise Missile ‘Flamingo’

Ukrainian start-up Fire Point has unveiled its first cruise missile named FP-5 Flamingo. Fire Point’s new FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile could have far-reaching effects on Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign against Russia, as well as reflect a broader trend in the cruise missile domain.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine has tested the Flamingo long-range cruise missile, which can strike targets up to 3,000 kilometers away, and said that its mass production could begin by February.
• This makes Flamingo the first indigenously built “heavy” missile system in Ukraine’s arsenal.
• Russia’s main hypersonic missiles include Zircon (a naval missile) and Avangard (a hypersonic glide vehicle), which can reach speeds of Mach 9 and Mach 27 (about Mach 12).
• Russia is also developing other hypersonic weapons, including the Oreshnik missile, which has also been used.

About Flamingo missile

• The FP-5 “Flamingo” missile is a long-range cruise missile.
• It was developed by Ukraine’s Fire Point defense company.
• With an alleged strike range of 3,000 kilometers, a 1,150-kilogram warhead, and a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 kilograms, Flamingo is one of the world’s largest and longest-range ground cruise missile systems.
• Its wingspan is about six meters.
• It is equipped with a turbofan engine.
• Its speed is up to 900 km/h and its navigation is based on an inertial system and GPS.
• The missile’s high terminal velocity, along with its heavy weight, means that the warhead penetrates deep into the target before detonating, greatly increasing its destructive power.
• The missile is also designed to be resistant to electronic warfare systems, possibly using a secure GPS module with a CRPA antenna.

Sapsan ballistic missile

• At the beginning of June, Ukrainian media reported that the indigenous short-range Sapsan ballistic missile had successfully completed combat testing and is now starting serial production.
• A domestically developed long-range cruise missile could prove to be a significant capability boost for Ukraine, which has so far relied entirely on Western countries for the supply of such weapons.
• This missile will enable Ukraine to take its fight back to those Russian cities that have so far remained safe from the worst effects of the war.
• Ukrainian cities face long-range missile attacks almost daily, while Kyiv has so far been able to strike only with long-range drones on Russia’s main cities. However, drones can carry only a small warhead, limiting their impact.