The 35-year-old Ukrainian behind the 'Flamingo': How the missile that strikes the heart of Russia was born
Iryna Trakh, an architect from Kharkiv, founded a weapons company with her partners in a makeshift garage. Three years later, she operates dozens of factories, producing thousands of UAVs and about a hundred cruise missiles per month. The 'Flamingo', carrying over a ton of explosives, has provided Ukraine with an independent strike capability deep inside Russia. Her next goal is the development of a ballistic missile.
In recent months, the Ukrainian army has increased its use of 'Flamingo' model cruise missiles, which have been launched against a series of targets deep inside Russia, causing heavy damage. The story of this missile, which entered operational service a year ago and reached comprehensive production only in the last few months, illustrates the unique nature of the Ukrainian defense industry, which finds creative solutions during a difficult war.
Iryna Trakh, one of the most important figures in this story, is a young woman in an industry almost entirely dominated by men. A 35-year-old architect who grew up in Kharkiv, one of the cities most heavily bombed by the Russians, she decided to take action. When Russia expanded its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Denis Shtilerman, founder of the company FIRE POINT and a close friend of Trakh, recruited her to help establish the firm.
They assembled the first prototype of a Ukrainian attack UAV in a stuffy garage in early 2023, with the team working grueling shifts and sleeping only three hours a night. To critics who scoffed at the venture and called it 'amateur' or 'garage engineering,' Trakh replied with pride:
«In a war that relies heavily on volunteers, weapons must be simple, reliable, and easy to mass-produce».
Today, FIRE POINT is light-years away from its humble beginnings in the garage. The company operates 83 factories across Ukraine and another in Denmark, employs about 6,000 workers, and produces thousands of UAVs per month. Alongside these, it manufactures about 100 long-range 'Flamingo' cruise missiles, which carry a heavy warhead of more than a ton of explosives and are capable of penetrating concrete walls.
One of the operational highlights occurred when a 'Flamingo' missile traveled a complex route of about 1,800 km to strike a military components factory deep within Russian territory. Such cruise missiles have also been launched against Russian refineries, cutting fuel production in Russia by approximately 20%. Their use has provided the Ukrainian army with independent capabilities that the West hesitated to provide at the beginning of the campaign.
Despite claims of preferential treatment by the state and regulatory delays intended to investigate corruption allegations, Trakh continues to look forward with determination. Her next ambition includes developing the first Ukrainian ballistic missiles and establishing an international coalition for air defense.
