Missile FP-5 Flamingo

The FP-5 "Flamingo" is a Ukrainian ground-launched cruise missile developed after the Russian full-scale invasion of February 2022. It was publicly revealed in August 2025, when an Associated Press photographer documented a test launch at a concealed facility in southern Ukraine. On 20 August 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the start of serial production. The design, advertised capabilities and designation match those of an FP-5 missile shown at IDEX 2025 by a foreign-registered defence company. The origin of the name is disputed.

The missile has a straight fixed wing, a turbofan engine mounted above the fuselage and four tail control surfaces in an X-configuration, giving it an outward resemblance to the V-1 and the Tu-141/Tu-143 reconnaissance drones. The monocoque fuselage is filament-wound from radar-transparent fibreglass composite, and the engine nacelle is metal. A solid-fuel booster launches the missile. The sustainer engine is a Soviet-era Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan, sourced from stockpiles and L-39 trainers and refurbished for a single flight of a few hours, with cheaper parts replacing the titanium components. Because the AI-25 is optimised for high altitude, a low-bypass replacement engine was in testing in 2026.

Guidance relies on satellite navigation with a jamming-resistant controlled reception pattern antenna and inertial backup. The missile has no TERCOM or DSMAC terrain- or scene-matching systems. Claimed accuracy is a CEP of 14 m under ideal conditions. A French company supplied the guidance system. The planned cruise altitude is 30–40 m, but Ukraine lacks terrain maps of Russia suitable for flight at that height. One missile was intercepted at 114 m on 9 October 2025. Pre-launch preparation takes 20–40 minutes. The warhead is sourced externally and is reported to penetrate thick concrete to a depth of about 10 m. Analysts assess it as a converted aerial bomb. A FAB-1500 has been suggested, but a Mark 84 or BLU-109/B is considered more consistent with its size. Cluster and other warhead types were reported to be in development. The manufacturer quotes a unit cost of about US$600,000. In June 2026, a German defence company expressed interest in producing a variant with an upgraded seeker.

The missile is operated by the 19th Missile Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. Production rose through late 2025 and 2026 to several missiles per day. Solid rocket fuel production began in Denmark in December 2025. A Czech crowdfunding campaign raised funds for one missile in October 2025, but the organisers suspended the purchase in November after a corruption investigation involved the manufacturer.

Ukrainian sources reported the first combat use on 30 August 2025, against an FSB outpost in Crimea. That strike damaged hovercraft and killed one serviceman. On 23 September 2025, Flamingos struck the Skif-M plant, which makes Su-34, Su-35 and Su-57 components. Use against targets in Russia was confirmed on 9 October 2025, alongside Neptune missiles. The next day, Russia claimed its first interceptions, one by a Buk system.

Strikes in 2026 targeted:

• the Kapustin Yar test range
• an ammunition depot near Kotluban
• the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant, which produces Iskander missiles
• the Promsintez explosives plant in Chapaevsk
• the Titan-Barrikady plant in Volgograd
• the Avitek ejection-seat plant in Kirov
• the Progress Rocket Space Centre in Samara
• Volgogradpromproekt, a producer of ferrocene for solid propellants

In the June 2026 attack on VNIIR-Progress in Cheboksary, three of five missiles were reportedly shot down. On 4 July 2026, the Russian Air Force, supported by an A-50U airborne early warning aircraft, shot down five Flamingos.