To Propel Their Giant Flamingo Missiles, the Ukrainians Scraped Old Engines From a Landfill

The AI-25TLs have just enough life left

Flamingo. Fire Point photo

The Fire Point FP-5 Flamingo flies low and fast, reportedly powering right through Russian jamming under inertial guidance to deliver a whopping 2,500-pound warhead that can blast through concrete.

And it does it with an expired jet engine that Fire Point dug out of a landfill, chief technology officer Iryna Terekh told Militarnyii.

“There are thousands of such engines, and we bought them in advance to have a stock before scaling up,” Terekh said.

It’s apparent Terekh is referring to time-expired Ivchenko AI-25TL turbofans. The AI-25TL, which powers Aero L-39 jet trainers and other light aircraft, produces 4,000 pounds of thrust.

An L-39 weighs five tons, which is two tons less than a Flamingo weighs. But the L-39 must be maneuverable, where the Flamingo is expected to fly a simple course at a steady high subsonic speed under inertial and satellite guidance.

The AI-25TL is more than adequate—and, more importantly, it’s abundant. Ukrainian firm Motor Sich can reportedly still build new examples.

But Fire Point isn’t buying new engines for the two Flamingos it’s currently building every day. Instead, it installs worn-out, but minimally refurbished, AI-25TLs that are near their certified 750-hour time between overhaul.