Ukraine develops Flamingo cruise missile in less than 9 months
On 20 August 2025, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists that Ukraine's new Flamingo cruise missile had successfully passed its tests. The project was planned, tested and launched into production at a record pace - in just 9 months from the start of work.
Here's What We Know
The Flamingo cruise missile has a maximum range of up to 3,000 km. This allows it to hit targets in the European part of the Russian Federation. The warhead weighs 1150 kg, almost twice as much as the Tomahawk Block V. The take-off weight is about 6000 kg, and the maximum speed is up to 950 km/h. The wing is 6 m long. The missile is guided by GPS and is backed up by an EW-resistant inertial system.
Currently, about one missile is being manufactured per day, but mass production may be launched in January or February. According to the President of Ukraine, the start and volume of mass production depends on funding.
What it means.
A missile of Ukraine's own production significantly "unleashes the hands" of the Ukrainian military in decision-making. The Russians can openly concentrate troops and equipment in the rear, as Ukraine is prohibited from striking deep into Russia with most Western weapons. Russian politicians are constantly pressuring and threatening their Western partners not to lift the restrictions. Therefore, despite Russian strikes on children's hospitals, schools and firefighters, Ukraine cannot launch missile attacks on factories that manufacture Russian missiles and drones.
For this reason, Ukraine has had to develop its own long-range drones and successfully use them. A cruise missile, unlike a drone, is almost impossible to shoot down by ground firepower. It is still vulnerable to Russian air defence, but a competent combination of drones and cruise missiles greatly improves the effectiveness of strikes on well-protected targets in the rear.
In addition, Flamingo is a very powerful signal. Politicians used to say that Ukraine could not be given nuclear weapons because it did not have the means of delivery. 3,000 km is twice as far as a Tomahawk, which can carry a tactical nuclear charge. It took the country only 9 months to set up this production facility. Not being able to receive long-range Western weapons, we can expect that the range of its own long-range weapons will only grow.
Source: militarnyi.com
