Ukraine's Flamingo missile chief designer confirms combat use
If the Flamingo rocket flies at a low altitude a kilometer away from the Russian Pantsir, it will not be able to shoot it down, said Denys Shtilerman. (Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP)
The chief designer of Ukraine's new Flamingo cruise missile confirmed its combat use and touted its ability to evade detection during low-altitude flights in an interview with Radio NV on Oct. 20.
"Yes, there has been combat use (of the Flamingo missile)," Denys Shtilerman said. "I cannot give more comments because I have not received permission to do so."
He affirmed the missile could reach key Russian centers, emphasizing its terrain-following flight path.
"You have to understand: if you can hug the terrain and your aircraft has the proper capabilities, if you fly low — below 40 meters — no radars will detect you 100%," Shtilerman said. "You will easily pass into any Russian city except maybe Moscow and St. Petersburg."
He explained that Moscow and St. Petersburg are tough targets due to layered air defenses.
"Three rings of air defense in Moscow. They (Russians) use not just radars for detection but microphones installed on cell towers, and a whole lot of other solutions," he added.
Shtilerman called Russia's vast size its "weak spot," adding that selecting the right altitude allows evasion of systems like the Pantsir.
"I'm telling you: if you pick a certain altitude band... If we fly right over a Pantsir, of course, they'll shoot us down; it can react. If that Pantsir is a kilometer or two away — nothing will happen if you fly at a certain height," Shtilerman said.
Fire Point company
On Aug. 17, Associated Press photographer Efrem Lukatsky shared a photo of the Ukrainian Flamingo missile, with a range exceeding 3,000 kilometers. The journalist said the missiles have entered serial production.
Defence Express reported that the Flamingo's warhead is twice as powerful as the American Tomahawk's, with a speed up to 950 kilometers per hour.
On Aug. 18, Ukrainian outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reported that the Flamingo missile has entered serial production and has been successfully used in combat launches.
On Aug. 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said mass production of the missile should begin in Ukraine by early 2026. He called the Flamingo the "most successful" among all current Ukrainian weapons.
On Aug. 21, the Associated Press reported that Ukraine is producing one Flamingo missile per day at a secret factory. Plans call for scaling up to seven per day.
On Aug. 29, the Kyiv Independent, citing sources, reported that NABU detectives are investigating whether Fire Point inflated the cost of components or the number of drones supplied to Ukraine's Defense Ministry.
The outlet said a separate probe examines possible ties between the company and Timur Mindich, a co-owner of the Kvartal 96 film studio founded by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to documents obtained by the Kyiv Independent, the manufacturer was one of the largest — if not the largest — recipients of Defense Ministry budget funds for drones.
Commenting on the material, NABU stated it is not conducting an investigation into the Flamingo missile.
On Sept. 18, Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh said the enterprise is ramping up production while working on a next-generation air defense system.
On Oct. 3, State Border Guard Service officer and aerial reconnaissance specialist Yuriy Kasyanov said his strike unmanned system company in the 10th Mobile Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine was liquidated on the orders of Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak.
Kasyanov also claimed that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to disband his unit because it was a "key witness" in the Fire Point case.
He stated that when details emerged about the Flamingo missile developer Fire Point, he began writing to the company that their drone actually costs three times less than what the state is buying it for.
The officer also found it suspicious that Fire Point presented "an alleged cruise missile that it supposedly developed in nine months, although the shortest timelines for developing a French cruise missile were six years, the American Tomahawk eight years, and the Russian Kalibr 12 years."
"I wrote that the Fire Point company is lying, it is a scam. They could not have developed the missile or bought so many engines that are no longer produced," Kasyanov claimed.
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