Ukraine's "Most Successful" Missile Is Hitting Almost Nothing
Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missile is missing roughly 85% of its targets. Manufactured by Fire Point, the FP-5 - advertised with a 3,000 km range and a 1,150 kg warhead - was hailed by Volodymyr Zelensky as Ukraine's "most successful" missile when he touted its initial tests. Yet an independent count tracks only about ten confirmed combat uses since August 2025, and analysts warn the true number of launches is likely higher given that failed strikes rarely receive coverage.
The missile's best showing to date was the June 26–27 overnight strike on the Titan-Barrikady plant in Volgograd, where Ukrainian sources claim three of five launched missiles struck the facility. According to an analysis published by Defence Industry Europe, that marked the first confirmed instance of multiple Flamingos hitting within the target area. In most other documented strikes, at most one missile connected. Across its last four confirmed uses, the weapon hit its target twice but inflicted little significant damage - a result the author attributes to missing the intended aimpoints.
A separate OSINT tally cited by Ukrainska Pravda tracked total launches rising from 23 to 39 over a two-month span, with confirmed hits ticking up from two to six. That translates to a hit rate of roughly 15%, though the Defence Industry Europe author cautions that the sample size remains "too limited for broad conclusions."
Production output is the other major gap. While Fire Point has boasted of building several missiles a day, the analysis notes that "overall production capacity still appears to fall short of the company's stated ambitions" and dismisses claims of three missiles per day as exaggerated. Strike volleys remain small - capping at six missiles in a single attack - and the supply of the repurposed AI-25TL turbofan engines that power the weapon is murky. Fire Point is reportedly constructing its own engine plant, though its progress remains unknown.
FirePoint CEO Iryna Terekh
Rumors that Fire Point halted production altogether have been disputed. After an edited interview clip sparked claims that the missile was a hoax, CEO Iryna Terekh posted the full exchange on X. Fire Point maintains it is still producing the FP-5 and has no plans to abandon the project, according to Ukranews. The company also disclosed in December that it lost two major production facilities to Russian strikes—though as we previously reported, Zelensky announced Flamingo strikes on the Progress space center in Samara in August.
Then there is the money. In August 2025, the Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) had opened a probe into Fire Point to investigate whether it inflated component costs, delivery numbers for its drones, or both. NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office clarified they were not investigating the Flamingo missile itself, according to New Voice of Ukraine. Fire Point acknowledged the inquiry but dismissed it as rumor-driven and unrelated to businessman Timur Mindich. By the end of 2025, NABU had issued no formal suspicions in the case.
Mindich - a former co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio and a figure in a separate Ukrainian corruption probe—represents another thread. Fire Point co-owner Denys Shtillerman alleged that Mindich demanded a 50% stake in the company, as Komersant reported in December, while Babel reported that Mindich sought to buy half the firm outright. Fire Point maintains the NABU probe has nothing to do with him.
Ultimately, no charges have been filed against Fire Point, and no verified production figures have been made public. What remains on the public record is a missile launched dozens of times with only a handful of confirmed hits, alongside an unresolved ownership dispute.
Tyler Durden Wed, 11/04/2026 - 02:40
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missile is missing roughly 85% of its targets. Manufactured by Fire Point, the FP-5 - advertised with a 3,000 km range and a 1,150 kg warhead - was hailed by Volodymyr Zelensky as Ukraine's "most successful" missile when he touted its initial tests. Yet an independent count tracks only about ten confirmed combat uses since August 2025, and analysts warn the true number of launches is likely higher given that failed strikes rarely receive coverage.
The missile's best showing to date was the June 26–27 overnight strike on the Titan-Barrikady plant in Volgograd, where Ukrainian sources claim three of five launched missiles struck the facility. According to an analysis published by Defence Industry Europe, that marked the first confirmed instance of multiple Flamingos hitting within the target area. In most other documented strikes, at most one missile connected. Across its last four confirmed uses, the weapon hit its target twice but inflicted little significant damage - a result the author attributes to missing the intended aimpoints.
A separate OSINT tally cited by Ukrainska Pravda tracked total launches rising from 23 to 39 over a two-month span, with confirmed hits ticking up from two to six. That translates to a hit rate of roughly 15%, though the Defence Industry Europe author cautions that the sample size remains "too limited for broad conclusions."
Production output is the other major gap. While Fire Point has boasted of building several missiles a day, the analysis notes that "overall production capacity still appears to fall short of the company's stated ambitions" and dismisses claims of three missiles per day as exaggerated. Strike volleys remain small - capping at six missiles in a single attack - and the supply of the repurposed AI-25TL turbofan engines that power the weapon is murky. Fire Point is reportedly constructing its own engine plant, though its progress remains unknown.
FirePoint CEO Iryna Terekh
Rumors that Fire Point halted production altogether have been disputed. After an edited interview clip sparked claims that the missile was a hoax, CEO Iryna Terekh posted the full exchange on X. Fire Point maintains it is still producing the FP-5 and has no plans to abandon the project, according to Ukranews. The company also disclosed in December that it lost two major production facilities to Russian strikes—though as we previously reported, Zelensky announced Flamingo strikes on the Progress space center in Samara in August.
Then there is the money. In August 2025, the Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) had opened a probe into Fire Point to investigate whether it inflated component costs, delivery numbers for its drones, or both. NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office clarified they were not investigating the Flamingo missile itself, according to New Voice of Ukraine. Fire Point acknowledged the inquiry but dismissed it as rumor-driven and unrelated to businessman Timur Mindich. By the end of 2025, NABU had issued no formal suspicions in the case.
Mindich - a former co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio and a figure in a separate Ukrainian corruption probe—represents another thread. Fire Point co-owner Denys Shtillerman alleged that Mindich demanded a 50% stake in the company, as Komersant reported in December, while Babel reported that Mindich sought to buy half the firm outright. Fire Point maintains the NABU probe has nothing to do with him.
Ultimately, no charges have been filed against Fire Point, and no verified production figures have been made public. What remains on the public record is a missile launched dozens of times with only a handful of confirmed hits, alongside an unresolved ownership dispute.
Tyler Durden Wed, 11/04/2026 - 02:40
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
