Fire Point's Flamingo burns the plant behind Russia's ejection seats
One Kirov factory supplies K-36DM escape seats for Russia's fighter fleet and feeds the Tor missile line. Ukraine reached it with a domestic cruise missile at roughly 1,200 kilometers.
One Kirov factory supplies K-36DM escape seats for Russia's fighter fleet and feeds the Tor missile line. Ukraine reached it with a domestic cruise missile at roughly 1,200 kilometers.
An FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile hit the Avitek machine-building plant in Kirov on the morning of July 24, maker Fire Point confirmed in a statement carried by UNIAN. Residents reported explosions around 7 a.m. local time, and the monitoring channels Astra and Exilenova+ published footage of black smoke over the site. Russian regional officials did not acknowledge the strike, RBC-Ukraine reported. No independent damage assessment exists yet.
The target sits deep in Russia's component chain. Avitek, a subsidiary of the state-owned Almaz-Antey concern, takes part in producing the Tor air defense system and supplies engine components for the Kh-101 and Kh-59M2 cruise missiles Russia fires into Ukraine, the Fire Point statement said. The plant also builds, repairs and upgrades the K-36DM ejection seat fitted to the Su-34 and Su-57. Assessments cited by United24 Media and Euromaidan Press describe Avitek as Russia's sole serial producer of ejection seats for its fighter and attack aircraft.
The weapon did the reaching. The Flamingo is a 14-meter, carbon-fiber missile built around an AI-25TL turbofan, rated to carry a 1,150-kilogram warhead more than 3,000 kilometers on satellite navigation at low altitude, per United24 Media. Kirov lies about 1,200 kilometers from Ukraine, Euromaidan Press noted. Fire Point co-founder and chief designer Denys Shtilerman posted launch video on X.
Kirov extends a campaign against factories that make what no other factory makes. Flamingo strikes hit the VNIIR-Progress antenna plant in Cheboksary in June, then the Titan-Barrikady launcher works in Volgograd two weeks later. Airfields can disperse. A seat line, an antenna line, a launcher line cannot. The same overnight wave sent drones into Wildberries logistics hubs near St. Petersburg and in Crimea, Kyiv Post reported.
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Subscribe Free →Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh has said that Flamingo and the upgraded FP-1 reached 3,000 kilometers of flight range, and that the company is rethinking the doctrine of the deep rear. Kirov is the third defense plant inside that radius since June.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was hit in Kirov on July 24?
The Avitek machine-building plant, a subsidiary of Russia's Almaz-Antey air defense concern. Fire Point confirmed its FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile struck the plant, per UNIAN and APA; monitoring channels Astra and Exilenova+ reported explosions and fire from about 7 a.m. local time.
What does the Avitek plant produce?
Per the Fire Point statement carried by UNIAN and Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, Avitek takes part in Tor air defense production, supplies engine components for Kh-101 and Kh-59M2/M2A cruise missiles, and builds, repairs and modernizes K-36DM ejection seats for the Su-34 and Su-57. OSINT assessments cited by United24 Media call it Russia's sole serial ejection-seat maker.
What is the FP-5 Flamingo?
A Ukrainian long-range cruise missile from the company Fire Point. United24 Media describes a 14-meter carbon-fiber airframe with an AI-25TL turbofan engine, a 1,150-kilogram warhead and a range beyond 3,000 kilometers, flying low on satellite navigation.
How badly was the plant damaged?
Unclear. Preliminary OSINT reporting cited by United24 Media says a missile struck one of the central buildings, and footage shows a large smoke column. Russian regional officials had not commented, per RBC-Ukraine, and there is no independent damage assessment.
Has the Flamingo hit Russian defense plants before?
Yes. Reported Flamingo strikes hit the VNIIR-Progress antenna plant in Cheboksary in June 2026 and the Titan-Barrikady launcher plant in Volgograd later that month, per Ukrainian General Staff statements and OSINT reporting covered previously by BattlePolicy.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.