Colonel Khodarenok: Ukrainian Armed Forces' Flamingo missile will not take part in combat operations
Production of Flamingo missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 3,000 km has begun in Kiev. Western media write that the missile can be used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strike the site where the Russian drones "Geran" are manufactured. At the same time, experts note that the Flamingo is not an original development and resembles the British FP-5 rocket. Is it worth being afraid of "Flamingos" - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.
Serial production of the Flamingo missile with a firing range of up to 3,000 km has begun in Ukraine. This was reported by Associated Press photojournalist Efrem Lukatsky. The developer company, as stated in Kiev, is the local company Fire Point. However, the Flamingo is most likely a copy of the FP-5 rocket.
What is the FP-5 rocket?
Let's figure out where the FP-5 came from. The project of a large ground-based cruise missile FP-5, designed for high-precision destruction of ground targets, was, as is known, presented in the United Arab Emirates at the international defense industry exhibition IDEX-2025 in Abu Dhabi. The product was presented by the Emirati-British military industrial group Milanion Group (with its main production facilities and office in Abu Dhabi).
The launch weight of the FP-5 is 6,000 kg, and the weight of the warhead reaches 1,000 kg. The wingspan of the rocket is at least 6 meters. The maximum flight speed of the product is 950 km/h, the cruising speed is 850-900 km/ h, the flight range is up to 3000 km, the practical ceiling is up to 5000 m.
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| The FP-5 cruise missile. |
| Source: Milanion Group |
For example, the launch weight of the Russian X-101 air-launched cruise missile is about 2200-2400 kg, and the American Tomahawk is within one and a half tons. That is, without any exaggeration, the Flamingo rocket is a very large product. To get an idea of how big it is, it is enough to recall the take-off weight of first-generation jet fighters. The MiG-15, for example, is 4960 kg, and the normal take-off weight of its opponent, the F-86 Sabre, is 6894 kg. That is, the Flamingo ground-based cruise missile is a small aircraft in terms of mass and overall characteristics. Accordingly, the price will be about the same.
How many Flamingos do you need?
Now about the main thing.
The Defence24 publication [...] writes that the Flamingo missile can be used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to strike at the site near Yelabuga, where Russian kamikaze drones of the Geran family are manufactured.
At the same time, weapons in the course of an armed struggle become truly weapons when they are used suddenly and massively. The Emirati-British Milanion Group defense industry Group claims the possibility of producing 50 such missiles per month at its facilities (I must say, it's hard to believe). This is frankly not enough for high-intensity fighting, and the armed conflict in Ukraine, judging by all reports, is nearing its end. That is, the Flamingo clearly does not have time for the war.
In addition, large-scale mass production of such missiles will require considerable funds (it is not yet clear who is ready to fully invest in this idea, as it is known that there is no money in Kiev) and large-scale cooperation of co-executing enterprises. In Ukraine, mass production of weapons is currently unlikely in conditions where the territory of the state is under constant fire from the Russian Armed Forces. It is also hard to believe that such weapons could be supplied in large quantities from abroad and free of charge.
Finally, Flamingo missiles require at least 5-6 thousand units in order to somehow influence the course and outcome of hostilities. To imagine such figures, one must again have some imagination. But in response, Kiev may receive such a surrender from the Russian Armed Forces that even the limited use of Flamingo missiles will seem to the Ukrainian military and political leadership to be a major strategic mistake.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
