Ukraine's new 'Flamingo' missile could significantly damage Russia's defense industry and economy, expert says
Ukraine’s homegrown “Flamingo” missile could significantly damage Russia’s economy and defense-industrial base, military analyst Pavlo Narozhnyi told Radio NV, arguing the system packs far more punch than the drones that have already harried Russian industry.
In recent days, Ukraine unveiled the long-range “Flamingo” missile and said serial production is underway. The weapon is designed to strike targets up to 3,000 kilometers away. Whether it can systematically degrade Russia’s defense industry and apply broader economic pressure is the key question, Narozhnyi said.
According to the expert, moving the missile into production is “excellent news,” noting its relative simplicity and a roughly one-ton warhead—about twice the explosive weight of a U.S. Tomahawk. He added that officials linked to Ukraine’s missile program had hinted at a “big surprise for Russians.”
“You can’t compare it with Storm Shadow/SCALP and the like. In this case, we don’t need very complex guidance systems. More modern American or British missiles have visual guidance systems that can home on an infrared image even amid countermeasures. Here, we don’t need that,” Narozhnyi said.
He argued Ukraine should employ the new missile against Russia’s defense-industrial complex and to inflict cost on the broader economy.
“Most of these plants, we see we can hit with cheap drones that fly not at 1,000 kilometers an hour like this missile, but at 200–250 kilometers an hour. What we need now is a large number of inexpensive means that can effectively damage Russia’s economy and defense industry. And this missile can do that,” Narozhnyi added.
Russian defense plants such as Uralvagonzavod span vast areas, and some systems are duplicated and hardened underground, he said. In his view, one-ton warheads are needed to inflict meaningful damage on such targets—potentially allowing Ukraine to “effectively halt arms production in Russia.”
On August 17, the Associated Press reported that Ukraine had begun industrial production of the “Flamingo,” a cruise missile advertised with a 3,000-kilometer range.
By size and weight, the Flamingo is said to outclass many modern cruise missiles, including the Tomahawk, whose warhead weighs about 450 kilograms with a range of up to roughly 1,600 kilometers. That could make it not just an analogue of well-known Western systems but a potentially more powerful tool for striking deep rear-area targets.
A one-ton payload opens the door to damaging large depots, factories, energy nodes and airfields deep inside enemy territory. Mobile launchers allow firing from varied locations, complicating any preemptive strikes by the opponent. Camouflaging launchers as civilian trucks or containerized systems adds an element of surprise.
The Flamingo closely resembles the FP-5 cruise missile shown by UAE-based Milanion Group in early 2025. Debuted at IDEX-2025, that missile was presented with the following specifications:
- Warhead: 1,000 kg
- Range: up to 3,000 km
- Launch weight: 6 tons
- Fixed-wing span: 6 meters
- Speed: up to 900 km/h
- Guidance: combined—satellite (jam-resistant) and inertial
As V-tech reports, Flamingo’s range reaches about 3,000 kilometers, while the Tomahawk Block V is roughly 1,600 kilometers and Storm Shadow is around 560 kilometers—meaning the Ukrainian missile nearly doubles the U.S. system and far exceeds the UK-French weapon.
The Flamingo also has an advantage in warhead size: up to 1,000 kg versus about 450 kg on Tomahawk and Storm Shadow, enabling more destructive strikes on large industrial and military targets. Storm Shadow’s BROACH warhead is specialized for hardened targets, but its overall mass is lower.
All three missiles are subsonic, with cruise speeds typically between 850 and 1,000 km/h.
Flamingo is being developed as a strategic, ground-launched missile for strikes on industrial and critical infrastructure deep behind the front lines. Tomahawk is a versatile sea- and land-launched cruise missile used against a wide array of targets. Storm Shadow is primarily air-launched and serves as a “scalpel” for precision attacks on fortified sites.
A short video published by the outlet Zerkalo Nedeli shows the missile lifting off from a ground-based launcher.
The launch footage was provided by manufacturer FirePoint, whose representatives spoke with Zerkalo Nedeli journalist Vitaliy Kononuchenko. The clip includes both combat and training launches. The report says there was a combat strike against targets inside the Russian Federation; it does not specify details, noting only that it took place “several months ago.”
A source told the outlet the company’s production facilities are located in the “Carpathian forests.” Engineers focused on three priorities: range, warhead weight, and speed of deployment and launch, the article says. The missile is also described as having protection against electronic warfare. According to FirePoint, the weapon carries a 1,150-kilogram warhead, has a range of 3,000 kilometers, and can destroy any Russian military target within reach.
“The combat use of Flamingo missiles, which has been ongoing for some time, has proven effective and managed to hit designated targets on the territory of Russia,” Zerkalo Nedeli wrote.
The manufacturer said it is scaling up production of Flamingo missiles as well as FP-series attack drones.
Separately, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has launched serial production of Sapsan ballistic missiles, which underwent a successful combat test in mid-May 2025, striking a Russian military target at a distance of 300 kilometers.
Ukraine has also touted a new missile type known as “Bars,” a program that remained classified for a long time.