A cut-price cruise missile containing engines bought from landfill sites is threatening to level the playing field in Ukraine‘s war against Putin‘s forces.
FP-5 Flamingo missiles are allowing Zelensky‘s men to hit targets deep into Russian territory for the first time, as foreign correspondent Chris Pleasance explains in the latest episode of the Daily Mail’s War On Tape.
The projectile’s distinctive name stems from the fact that prototypes were painted bright pink to make them easier to retrieve, while FP is the initials of the manufacturer Fire Point.
The missile’s power and range are so extensive that many analysts initially refused to believe that they were real.
At 45 foot long and with a wingspan of 20 feet, the Flamingo is one of the largest and heaviest cruise missiles ever created.
The projectile weighs six metric tonnes, with a one-tonne warhead, and can fly at speeds of up to 600mph. It is likely its heaviness that gives the missile its signature ‘S’-shaped flight path.
But such power and speed also comes on a budget. Each Flamingo costs around $500,000.
The missile is powered by an Ivcheno AI-25TL engine, originally designed by the Soviets for their training aircraft. Many were scrapped at the end of their service life, so Ukraine bought them from landfill at a cut price.
A Ukrainian long-range ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile, with its distinctive bright pink tip, sits on its launcher
Prototypes were painted bright pink to make them easier to retrieve, earning them them their distinctive nickname. Pictured: Two members of a Czech endowment fund for Ukraine look at a Flamingo cruise missile at the Fire Point secret factory at an undisclosed location
Workers inspect a Flamingo cruise missile at Fire Point’s secret factory in Ukraine on Monday, August 18, 2025
The Flamingos are made of carbon fibre strands woven together by machines and so can be assembled quickly.
Kyiv claims to be currently manufacturing three Flamingos a day, with the aim of increasing that to seven.
Pleasance said: ‘You can begin to see why this missile caused such a stir when it was first unveiled, and why some people refused to believe it was real.
He added: ‘On a near daily basis, Russia pummels Ukraine with all manner of long-range precision weapons: cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, even experimental missiles like the Oresnik. These are fast-moving, difficult to shoot down.
‘So there’s a whole domain of warfare in which Russia can cause immense damage to Ukraine, but in which Ukraine cannot damage Russia. At least that is until now.
‘The Flamingo fills this gap in three ways. First, it has a very long range. Second, it has a very large warhead. And third, it is Ukrainian-made.’
A graphic detailing the Flamingo missile’s technical specifications and the sites of some of the strikes it has been used in
Pleasance said: ‘To say the Flamingo has a long range is perhaps understating things. It isn’t just comparable to the long-range Western weapons that Ukraine has been given in the past, it is significantly better.’
He added: ‘It is in an entirely different league, and puts virtually the entire western portion of Russia within striking distance.
‘That means Ukraine can now hit strategically important factories, oil refineries, and military bases, large numbers of which are based in this region, and of course, both of Russia’s most important cities. Moscow and St. Petersburg.’
The Flamingo does not contain GPS or GNSS, or a terrain-scanning system like the Tomahawk, but has achieved remarkable military success during its short lifespan.
Ukraine’s first Flamingo strikes took place in late August 2025 and targeted an outpost in Crimea, around 65 miles behind the front line.
While the target held little value in and of itself, it proved the Flamingo’s capabilities beyond doubt.
The next strike came a little over three weeks later, in September 2025, when a Flamingo missile hit a factory in Belgorod, Russia, around 40 miles from the front line, which makes components for Russian fighter jets.
The launch of a Ukrainian long-range FP-5 Flamingo missile, which represents a major advance in the country’s strike capabilities
Four missiles were launched. All four arrived on target, and photos from the scene showed fires inside the factory, suggesting significant damage was caused.
Russia then claimed two further attacks took place in October. It seems one failed when the missiles were shot down, while it is unclear where the other missile landed.
In November, the missiles were used again, this time against the Oryol power plant, more than 100 miles behind the front.
Four were launched, all four arrived on target, but all of them were shot down during the final phase of the attack, raining fiery debris on the city.
Further strikes in December and January saw Flamingos fired almost 400 miles behind the front line, one of which struck the firing range that Russia uses for its Oresnik missiles.
The pattern appears to be that each strike pushes slightly further into Russian territory, testing the Flamingo’s range.
Two more strikes took place in February, and both scored hits, destroying two significant facilities in the process.
First, the Kotlaban ammunition storage, a little over 300 miles from the front was blown up, and then the Votkinsk missile factory was also badly damaged.
The second strike was particularly significant because it occurred more than 800 miles from the front line, much further than Ukraine has been able to strike ever before, even with Western weapons.
An explosion from a Ukrainian strike on Orlovskaya Thermal Power Station in Russia’s Oryol region in January, a site known to have been hit by Flamingo missiles
The last reported strike occurred in May, targeting the Cheboksari factory that makes navigation components for Russian military vehicles.
Six missiles were launched, and one landed a hit on the factory, but the extent of damage remains unknown.
Pleasance said: ‘Overall, the hype is very real. Flamingos exist and are broadly capable of everything Ukraine said they would be capable of doing.
‘They have been used in at least eight strikes over the last nine months, of which five caused significant damage. For the first time since the war began, Ukraine now has a long-range precision strike weapon in its arsenal over which it has full control.
‘Russia can no longer launch missiles into Ukraine with impunity. Kyiv can and will hit back. The tide of this war is slowly but surely beginning to tilt back in Ukraine’s favour.’
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