Ukraine is producing Flamingo missiles with a range of 3000 km: how a secret factory operates.

According to ТСН: Ukraine is actively ramping up weapons production. Enterprises, in particular, hide their products underground and are located throughout the country. Western journalists managed to visit one of these enterprises of the company Fire Point, where modern cruise missiles 'Flamingo' are manufactured.

Secrecy and the 'Black Bird'

Journalists were transported to the location blindfolded and forced to turn off their phones. This was done for safety, as two factories of the company have already been attacked by the enemy.

The 'Flamingo' missile has an appearance similar to the German V-1 (V1) from World War II — with a large jet engine mounted on its body, the length of which is comparable to that of a bus.

Interestingly, the missile is painted black.

'Because it consumes Russian oil,' jokes the company's technical director Irina Terekh.

Range of 3000 km and independence from the USA

The declared flight range of the 'Flamingo' is 3000 km, placing it alongside the American Tomahawk missiles. The developers strive for maximum localization of production, avoiding components from China and the USA.

'We are on an emotional seesaw [with the USA — ed.]. Tomorrow someone may want to cover this, and we will not be able to use our own weapons,' explains Irina Terekh.

Production Scale

President Volodymyr Zelensky notes that Ukraine is currently producing more than 50% of the weapons used on the front line, and almost all long-range weapons are domestic.

The company Fire Point, which was founded after the start of the full-scale invasion, shows impressive achievements:

• Produces 200 drones per day.

• The FP1 and FP2 drones have conducted 60% of Ukraine's long-range strikes.

• The cost of one drone is about $50,000, which is one third of the price of a Russian 'Shahed'.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi notes that Ukrainian long-range strikes this year have caused damages to the Russian economy exceeding $21.5 billion.

'The turning point is our will to victory,' summarized chief designer Denys Shtylerman, emphasizing that there is no such thing as a 'Wunderwaffe' (wonder weapon).

It is now important to note that support for Ukraine's NATO membership as a reliable security guarantee among Ukrainians has decreased to 19.4%. Meanwhile, 31.1% consider the development of nuclear weapons to be the best guarantee of security.