Ukraine Transacts British-Made Missiles for its Arsenal
The "Flamingo" cruise missile, presented by Ukraine as a domestic development, is manufactured by the Ukrainian company Fire Point. Contrary to some claims, there is no credible evidence to suggest that the Flamingo is actually a British FP-5 design or produced by a private UK-registered company.
Ukrainian sources, including the missile's manufacturer Fire Point, have asserted that Ukraine was the major design contributor. Ukrainian specialists drew up the operational requirements and specifications, aiming to rely largely on domestic production capacities to enable mass production and scaling within Ukraine. The missile design is described as relatively simple to facilitate industrial scaling, with compromises made to ease mass manufacture in Ukraine. These details support a primarily Ukrainian development and production effort.
Multiple reports emphasize the Ukrainian origins of the missile, with no mention or credible linkage to a British company or the British FP-5 missile. Instead, they describe the Flamingo as a new Ukrainian long-range cruise missile with a 3,000 km range, produced by Fire Point and featuring unique aspects such as the name "Flamingo," originating as an internal name with a pink test scheme.
While an analysis noting similarity to a design called FP-5 exhibited by a company named Milanion (which might be connected or have roots in Ukraine) does exist, this is not equivalent to the missile being a British product. The available information points to Ukrainian companies, possibly with some Western or European technical input or influence, but fundamentally domestically developed and produced.
Despite some misinformation circulating, it is clear that the Flamingo missile is presented by Ukrainian sources as a domestic Ukrainian development by Ukrainian companies (mainly Fire Point), supported by Ukrainian design and manufacturing capacities, rather than a British-origin FP-5 design or product of a UK-registered private company.
Fire Point, the Ukrainian manufacturer of the Flamingo cruise missile, has been involved in the design and production, aiming to rely on domestic resources for mass production. The Flamingo's design is described as being simple to facilitate industrial scaling within Ukraine, suggesting a predominantly Ukrainian development and manufacturing process.
