German Diehl Plans to Produce Flamingo Cruise Missiles

German defense company Diehl Defence is considering producing Ukraine’s FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile in Germany.

Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence, announced this during a media briefing at the ILA Berlin Air Show, according to the Financial Times.

Rauch said the company plans to hold a series of meetings in the coming weeks with representatives of Fire Point, the Ukrainian company that developed the long-range FP-5 Flamingo missile.

Diehl’s CEO expressed optimism about the potential partnership, noting that developing and manufacturing the missile in Germany or other European countries makes strong practical sense.

He added that the joint production of FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles in Europe could become the most significant example yet of NATO countries adopting and leveraging Ukraine’s defense expertise and combat-tested technologies.

The initiative comes as Germany searches for a replacement for the U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile.

Plans to deploy Tomahawk missiles and a U.S. military battalion in Germany were reportedly canceled by Donald Trump following disputes with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the conflict in Iran, as well as concerns about how Russia might respond.

The reported range of Ukraine’s ground-launched FP-5 Flamingo missile is roughly twice that of the U.S.-madeTomahawk. Although the missile has so far seen only limited use in long-range strike operations, two FP-5 missiles reportedly struck a facility producing the Kometa navigation system in the Russian city of Cheboksary this week, approximately 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Diehl Defence, which also manufactures the IRIS-T air defense systems used by Ukraine, signed a technology cooperation agreement with Fire Point in April.

The Ukrainian company Fire Point plans to integrate a semi-active seeker developed by Diehl Defence into its new FP-7.X interceptor missile.

Fire Point recently conducted the first test of the surface-to-air missile, which is expected to serve as the foundation for the FREYJA missile defense project.

During the test, the missile successfully completed a fully controlled and maneuverable flight, demonstrating its guidance and flight-control capabilities.