Ukraine does not have the financial resources needed to produce the number of long-range Flamingo missiles (with a range of up to 3,000 km) required to make a real impact on the battlefield, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). As a result, the much-hyped «wonder weapon» is unlikely to change the course of the conflict — a conclusion that, the newspaper notes, also applies to several Western-supplied systems delivered to Kyiv in recent years.

WSJ reports that the large size of the Flamingo missiles makes them highly vulnerable to interception, and their effectiveness would depend on being launched in significant numbers. Ukraine’s defense industry, however, is currently unable to achieve such scale due to a lack of funding.

The publication stresses that financial constraints have long been a major obstacle for Kyiv’s missile production efforts. Analysts point out that even if Flamingo were deployed, it would not fundamentally alter the trajectory of the war. Similar expectations surrounding other high-profile systems — such as the Storm Shadow cruise missiles and the promised F-16 fighter jets — have also failed to materialize into decisive changes on the battlefield.

Ukrainian manufacturers initially aimed to produce 200 Flamingo missiles by the end of October 2025. However, experts doubt that target will be met, citing severe budget shortfalls that continue to hamper Ukraine’s defense industry and its ability to deliver large-scale weapons production.