Russian Missile Designer Says US Prompt Global Strike Concept Unviable

The US concept of a Prompt Global Strike (PGS) envisioning a system capable of destroying the nuclear capability of another country is not realistic, a Russian missile designer responsible the Bulava ballistic missile said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The US military is developing a hypersonic missile intended to deliver an airstrike anywhere on the globe within an hour, and potentially be used in a nuclear conflict.

"The US philosophy of a global strike is obviously foolish because it aims at dealing irreparable damage within such a huge time span, " Yuri Solomonov, chief designer at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (MIIT), told RIA Novosti.

Solomonov, who designed Russia’s submarine-launched Bulava ballistic missile and Topol-M ballistic missile, said some defense systems could target a missile in flight within five to 10 minutes after its launch.

"This would mean war, a system like this must not be used," he added, saying the US government was pouring funds into the PGS program.

The US military has reportedly been testing a PGS prototype for several years. Russia views PGS attack weapons as capable of delivering a disarming strike to its strategic infrastructure.