Ukraine is moving ahead with plans for a new cruise missile which will be able to strike deep into Russian territory.
The Flamingo FP-5 missile can carry a warhead weighing more than one tonne, and can fly more than 3,000 kilometres deep into Russia.
The entirely Ukrainian-made missile is produced by Ukraine’s Fire Point defence company, and took just nine months to develop the idea into a missile which has had its first successful tests on the battlefield, CEO and technical director Iryna Terekh said.
“We did not want to go public with this one, but it seems to be the right time. Flamingo is the long-range cruise missile that can carry a 1,150 kilogram warhead and fly into Russia for 3,000 kilometers,” Ms Terekh told Politico.
“We came up with it pretty fast. It took less than nine months to develop it from an idea to its first successful tests on the battlefield. I will not tell you about its exact speed, but I can say it’s faster than all the other missiles we currently have,” she added.
The Flamingo is expected to be a devastating weapon, with the highest top speed of any Ukrainian missile and carrying a huge explosive load. In June, a three-day long blaze erupted in a Russian oil refinery after Ukraine struck it with a R-360 Neptune cruise missile. Fire Point says the Flamingo would be even more destructive.
A total of 211 of the missiles have already been produced this month. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukraine will have “many more” of them by December. He said he would not give more details about the weapon until “Ukraine could use hundreds of them”.
Moscow has already played down the missile’s threat. State news agency Tass put out a disparaging article in which it claimed the missile is based on a British design – but Ms Terekh says Russian attempts to try to obstruct publicity about the new missile only demonstrates their concern.
“I would say there is some sort of big dick energy moment. You don’t need a scary name for a missile that can fly 3,000 kilometers,” Ms Terekh told the outlet. “The main goal is for a missile to be effective.”
Kyiv will feel encouraged this week to step up their production of offensive weapons, after US president Donald Trump suggested that the Ukrainian military should increase their attacks on Russian targets.
“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense,” Trump told his large social media following, adding: “Interesting times ahead!!!”
