German defense company Diehl Defence is in talks with Ukrainian arms manufacturer Fire Point regarding possible joint production of Flamingo cruise missiles in Germany.
Points of attention
- The German defense company Diehl Defence is engaging in talks with Ukrainian arms manufacturer Fire Point for a possible joint production of Flamingo cruise missiles in Germany.
- The collaboration signifies the growing interest of NATO member states in Ukrainian defense developments, showcasing the importance of Ukraine's combat experience and technological advancements.
Ukrainian Flamingo missile to be manufactured in Germany
"We are currently discussing how we could work together... I think it could really happen," Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch told reporters.
He said the company will hold a series of meetings in the coming weeks with Fire Point, the manufacturer and developer of the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile, which has a claimed range of more than 3,000 kilometers. "There are a few meetings planned in the next few weeks regarding this, and then we'll see," Rauch said.
He also noted that if a new product is created, "it makes a lot of sense to also produce it in Germany or other countries."
According to Diehl Defence CEO, the company is "optimistic and positive" about such cooperation.
As the FT notes, the joint production of Flamingo missiles in Europe would be the most visible example of how Ukraine's defense developments and its combat experience are increasingly of interest to NATO member states. The publication also notes that in April Diehl Defence, which is a manufacturer of IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile systems, and Fire Point signed a technology agreement, but its details were not previously disclosed.
Rauch noted that Diehl could offer Fire Point a much more advanced homing head—the element that detects a target and guides the weapon toward it. He also pointed to Diehl's more sophisticated systems design and the company's decades of experience.
