After the presentation of the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile by Fire Point and a detailed Associated Press story about its production, an opinion has spread that this missile closely resembles the Soviet Tu-141 Strizh reconnaissance drone, and that it may even be based on it.
It is true that Ukraine had modified the Strizh into a makeshift cruise missile for strikes against russia in 2022 and early 2023, and that both aircraft share roughly similar dimensions. But beyond this, the differences are enormous — visually, structurally, and in production technology.
Read more: Ukrainian Fire Point FP-5 Flamingo in Detail: Warhead From the U.S., Possibly Bunker-Buster, and Ballistic Missile Body
The Tu-141 Strizh was built as a tailless, low-wing reconnaissance jet UAV with forward horizontal fins, a delta wing of low aspect ratio placed in the tail, and a swept vertical stabilizer above the air intake. Its wingtips could fold to ease transport.
The FP-5 Flamingo instead carries a straight wing with a 6-meter span in the middle of the fuselage and an X-shaped empennage at the rear, following a far more classic layout. This alone marks a fundamental divergence not only in aerodynamics, but also in design philosophy and flight profile.
The Strizh's triangular wing was suited for transonic or low-supersonic flight, while the Flamingo is strictly subsonic. The Strizh's tailless planform was dictated by its mass distribution: the center of gravity leaned towards the tail while the nose housed reconnaissance equipment of about 100 kg.
In contrast, the Flamingo balances its tail-mounted engine with a 1-ton warhead in the nose, keeping its center of mass near mid-fuselage.
Structurally, the Strizh's fuselage relied on aluminum components, with its main strength concentrated at the wing root in the tail. The Flamingo, by contrast, uses a cocoon-like fiberglass monocoque — a technique more typical of ballistic missiles — which itself forms a strong load-bearing structure, reinforced by external stiffeners.
The Strizh was also designed as reusable and therefore equipped with a landing gear: this requires special power structures inside the fuselage and a separate exhaust system. None of this is present in the Flamingo, which is intended for one-time use.
Even the engine placement, often cited as a similarity, is but a false impression. At first glance, both have it placed atop the fuselage. But it is incorrect. The Strizh's engine actually sits inside the main body, with its nozzle extending from the tail. Protruding above is only the air intake. In the Flamingo, the entire engine pod rests externally on top of the fuselage.
Taken together, the FP-5 Flamingo and the Tu-141 Strizh are entirely different machines: wings, aerodynamics, mass distribution, fuselage design, materials, and intended use all diverge. Metaphorically speaking, the difference between these aircraft is as sharp as between the birds they were named after — the flamingo and the swift. Both may be birds with feathers, but resemblance ends there.
Read more: Two Possible Drawbacks of Ukraine's FP-5 Flamingo Cruise Missile
