Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingos hit a military plant in Cheboksary. Read more about this missile in the UNN report.
What is the FP-5 and why was it named "Flamingo"?
The FP-5 "Flamingo" is a modern ground-based UAV/cruise missile system produced by the Ukrainian company Fire Point.
The "Flamingo" is designed to deliver a specified combat payload of up to 1150 kg to strike ground targets with fixed topographic coordinates at a range of up to 3000 km, both day and night. The missile is capable of hitting a target even under conditions of active electronic interference.
Fire Point emphasizes that the FP-5 stands out for its ease of use and low cost. It is the largest system in its class, yet remains simple to manufacture and launch. It does not require expensive launch platforms—its launchers are reusable, making deployment more economical.
Open sources indicated that the missile was built based on AI-25 or AI-25TL engines; however, back in March 2026, Fire Point co-founder and chief designer Denys Shtylerman stated that the company was completing the development of its own engine, which would be manufactured at the company's production facilities.
"We are currently completing the development of our own engine. It is a turbofan engine with a low bypass ratio, but most importantly—it is designed for low-altitude flight," Shtylerman said at the time.
It is expected that in-house engine production will allow for the scaling of the final product—the "Flamingo" missile.
Interestingly, the missile received its name because of the color it was painted before test launches. The missile was supposed to be painted orange—the launch took place over the sea, and bright-colored debris is easier to find. However, the contractor ran out of orange paint and used pink instead. Thus, the name "Flamingo" was born. Combat versions of the missile are black, in accordance with military requirements.
Another interesting story related to the missile's development is that for some time it was passed off as a product of the British defense industry. As Denys Shtylerman explained, this was necessary to hide from the Russians the procurement of engines needed to launch the missile into production faster.
"It is ours, Ukrainian. The rumor that it was a British missile appeared because we wanted to hide the start of development of such missiles in Ukraine. To disguise the purchase of engines worldwide, we placed a mockup on the stand of an Indian company and labeled it as a British development," Shtylerman said.
According to him, all major parts of the "Flamingo" are manufactured in Ukraine, and only the inertial navigation system is foreign.
Fire Point CEO and CTO Iryna Terekh reported in an interview with Politico that the missile was developed very quickly: nine months passed from the idea to the first successful tests.
Targets hit by the "Flamingo"
On the night of June 10, the Defense Forces launched strikes with FP-5 Flamingo missiles at the "VNIIIR-Progress" plant in Cheboksary. A fire broke out at the plant—the consequences of the strike are still being clarified.
It is known that this enterprise is engaged in the production of satellite GNSS receivers and antennas for Glonass, GPS, and Galileo systems, as well as "Kometa" type modules used in "Shahed" kamikaze drones, "Iskander-M," and "Kalibr" missiles. This is not the first time the plant has come under fire from the Ukrainian military. It was previously hit by missiles in May of this year. OSINT analysts stated then that those were also "Flamingos."
"Progress" is far from the first target hit by the "Flamingo." Open sources cite the first combat use of the missile as a strike in temporarily occupied Crimea in September 2025. As a result of the attack, six hovercraft patrol boats were damaged, and one serviceman was killed.
In February 2026, the missile hit the arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Army in Kotluban, Volgograd region.
As a result of the strike, a bunker with an external area of ~3600m² (1200m² internal) was destroyed.
And on February 20, "Flamingo" missiles were used to strike the "Votkinsk Plant" joint-stock company in the city of Votkinsk, Udmurtia. The plant is engaged in the production of rocket engines for "Iskander" missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles (including the "Oreshnik" missile). The strike hit production workshops.
In March, OSINT researchers recorded a "Flamingo" missile hit on the explosive production facility of JSC "Promsintez" in the city of Chapayevsk, Samara region. The enterprise is engaged in the manufacture of explosives for equipping a wide range of ammunition, aerial bombs, and missiles.
"Fire Point has proven it can pull a rabbit out of a hat more than once," the Financial Times quotes defense consultant Mark Lange.
Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow and missile technology expert at the University of Oslo, called the missile "Ukraine's strongest security guarantee."
"If it can deploy 3,000 to 5,000 of these (and similar) missiles, ready within 24-48 hours to destroy over 25 percent of Russia's economic output, further Russian aggression will become unacceptable," he wrote on social media.