Ukrainian Cruise Missile Development and Deployment

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From Zelensky's presser: "There were precise Flamingo missile attacks at a distance of 1,400 km.They will increase the quantity; this depends on money and certain components.Depending on the quantity, we will have more successful strikes.I wouldn't want to say how many Flamingos were used this time—with what quantity—but I would like to say that while there were some interceptions by Russian air defense, there were also many that weren't intercepted and hit their targets precisely.But most importantly, all the missiles that were launched reached their destination."

Looks like the system was used in several other locations, interesting to note that all missiles reached their destinations meaning those that were intercepted had bypassed most of Russia's AD.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2026585074527875496
View: https://x.com/FRHoffmann1/status/2026585074527875496


Also interesting assessment by Fabian Hoffman on possible improvements to the missile.
 
https://militarnyi.com/en/news/fire-point-to-create-new-engine-for-flamingo-cruise-missiles/The Ukrainian company Fire Point is completing the development of its own jet engine for Flamingo cruise missiles, optimized for low-altitude flight.

Denys Shtilerman, the company’s chief designer and co-founder, shared this in an interview with PRO:UA.

According to him, the initial plan was to base the missile on the domestic AI-25 or AI-25TL engine, as it is significantly more efficient than the single-flow engines typically used in cruise missiles.

To support this approach, the company quietly built up a stock of used engines purchased through third-party companies. This reportedly allowed Fire Point to reach a production capacity sufficient to manufacture three missiles per day.

According to Shtilerman, the company is now completing development of its own engine. It will also be a turbojet engine with a low bypass ratio.

“The most important thing is that it is designed specifically for low-altitude flight. All the engines we use now were previously used in civil aviation. Their peak efficiency is roughly between 6,000 and 10,000 meters, so they are not very effective at sea level,” he explained.
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/2051445238816809420
View: https://x.com/ukraine_map/status/2051445238816809420?s=20


Ukraine is reported to have launched 5-10 FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles at Russia. So far one confirmed striking of the VNIIR-Progress research and development institute located in the Russian city Cheboksary, Republic of Chuvashia, around 900km from the border with Ukraine and its being attributed to the FP-5.

Really has me thinking we will see this missile more often this winter end of 2026 and early 2027.

Update: Pres. Zelensky shares video showing 6 FP-5 launches in line with earlier reports.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2051596942644224155
View: https://x.com/zelenskyyua/status/2051596942644224155?s=46&t=-m2jQk2m6ny4qaBXuSrGRA
 
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Well this has been quite clear from the start ,mostly its about stealing our money.

https://oboronka.mezha.ua/en/de-ukrajinski-raketi-flamingo-310751/

This Flamingo was supposedly capable of flying its 1150 kilogram payload up to 3000 kilometers. Russia stood no chance! Even worse for the Kremlin misogynists, the firm was run by women, and the Flamingo itself was painted bright pink.

But something went not quite right.

Despite receiving massive hype by the western media for almost a year, Ukrainian military analysts reported on April 28, 2026 that there have only been 23 recorded launches of this wunderwaffen. But Denis Shtilerman, official head of the company, claims in interviews that 2-3 Flamingos are produced daily.Ukrainian OSINT analysts identified that 6 of them reached their target, but only 2 hit the desired object. Another hit remains controversial

23 launches, six reached their targets. Only 2 actually hit their targets. The rest fell, missed, or were shot down.


And of those 23 launches, six reached their targets. Only 2 actually hit their targets. The rest fell, missed, or were shot down.


2026-05-05_22h34_36.png
 
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Mr.T said:
Well this has been quite clear from the start ,mostly its about stealing our money.

https://oboronka.mezha.ua/en/de-ukrajinski-raketi-flamingo-310751/

This Flamingo was supposedly capable of flying its 1150 kilogram payload up to 3000 kilometers. Russia stood no chance! Even worse for the Kremlin misogynists, the firm was run by women, and the Flamingo itself was painted bright pink.

But something went not quite right.

Despite receiving massive hype by the western media for almost a year, Ukrainian military analysts reported on April 28, 2026 that there have only been 23 recorded launches of this wunderwaffen. But Denis Shtilerman, official head of the company, claims in interviews that 2-3 Flamingos are produced daily.Ukrainian OSINT analysts identified that 6 of them reached their target, but only 2 hit the desired object. Another hit remains controversial

23 launches, six reached their targets. Only 2 actually hit their targets. The rest fell, missed, or were shot down.


And of those 23 launches, six reached their targets. Only 2 actually hit their targets. The rest fell, missed, or were shot down.


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For a new missile platform this performance isnt too bad considering its primarily an indigenous effort. If they had more support from the West maybe its guidance systems would be better, lets wait and see if there is nothing this winter then I will agree the platform is facing major issues.
 
Lold
 

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Josh_TN said:
It fulfills a niche in range, speed, and warhead Ukraine had nothing else for. If it manages to hit anything at all it is probably relatively successful.
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And with 2,500lb warhead for most targets it doesn't have to hit close to them.
 
Apparently, the power of two human Mk. I eyeballs is too much to ask for, when the narrative is at stake
 
The amount of mental gymnastics it requires to avoid admitting that the cruise missile with notoriously bad accuracy narrowly missed the actual building (which is, supposedly, administrative wing and not the intended target) is quite amusing, I must admit.

https://t.me/infomil_live/29592
 

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I also would be sceptical, if I were you. I mean, I havn't posted this on Twitter, which Elon Musk likes to call X, and I don't have a ukranian flag in my bio. That, obviously, raises a lot of red flags.

Perhaps you can ask Grok on how you can use Google street view, find the building in question, and cross-reference it with photos provided.
Just be careful, AI tends to be quite an appeaser and you might accientially fall into some sort of echo-chamber.
 
I'm sceptical because:

a) In the previously posted aftermath footage we saw fires all the way up the building, there aren't even burn marks on the wall in your photos; and

b) Your photos are far too careful not to show anything except 'the building' (or a building), making it completely impossible to geolocate.

Ahriman said:
Perhaps you can ask Grok on how you can use Google street view, find the building in question, and cross-reference it with photos provided.
Just be careful, AI tends to be quite an appeaser and you might accientially fall into some sort of echo-chamber.
Click to expand...
Or do it manually and note the absence of an iron fence on Street View, and the fact there's no foyer in your shots.

1778076319505.png

Assuming Google Earth even point be to the correct place.

1778076554535.png
 
Forest Green said:
I'm sceptical because:

a) In the previously posted aftermath footage we saw fires all the way up the building, there aren't even burn marks on the wall in your photos; and
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I honestly don't know what amount of charring you expect from a brief exposure to a fireball. There is quite a bit visible on the first picture, perhaps indicative of a fire inside, I am attaching it again for reference.

b) Your photos are far too careful not to show anything except 'the building' (or a building), making it completely impossible to geolocate.
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Well, one can either assume that it is the same building, or say that it is some other buidling, with the same number of floors, same wall material and equipped with anti-drone nets. I think I am comfortable with sticking to Occam razor on this one.

Or do it manually and note the absence of an iron fence on Street View, and the fact there's no foyer in your shots.
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Foyer is there in the shots all right. Well, at least half of it.
Anti-drone nets are also missing. One could assume that Google street view wasn't updated for quite a while. Actually in your upper left corner Google street view shows you the date for when the said view was taken. For me it says August 2019, which was quite a while ago. I am not sure if Google is upating anything at all since the start of the war.
Curiously, Yandex does not give you an adress at all, when you search for it. And if you check it through Yandex maps it is suspiciously blurred. Yandex street view, however, shows the building as it was in summer(?) 2025, and anti-drone nets are there, but the particular fence is not there at the time, which is hardly important, considering the totality of circumstances.


Assuming Google Earth even point be to the correct place.
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I don't know why you would doubt that, since it shows exact same place that sattlellite imagery shows, posted above, which was aslo posted by multitude of incredibly trustworthy OSINTers with ukranian flags in bio on non-consentual pornography site, also known as Twitter. And so does the site of the organisation hit.
Well, to tell you the truth, I do know why you would doubt that, but nevertheless I am glad we moved from denial phase to barganing phase. That is some serious progress we are making for everybody in this thread.
 

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It seems a little pedantic to discuss the results of one weapon strike to this degree, regardless of the stance. It is one datapoint at most. I suggest we move on.
 
Toxic topic. Closed. Deleting posts.

I've indicated multiple times that analysing every single operational use of a weapon is not really the purpose of the forum, and this tiresome back-and-forth between pro-Ukraine and pro-Russia posters on every single attack on either side is cancerous to the forum.

Come back when you have something to post about Ukrainian Cruise Missiles development that isn't "a missile hit/missed a target".
 
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