Russia Fears American Hypersonic Weapons

In a near-future war, 1,000 missiles scream toward Russia at Mach 20. Each one a pinpoint strike hitting the Kremlin’s nuclear missiles, military radars, submarine bases — you name it.

Within minutes, 80 percent of Russia’s nuclear arsenal is destroyed without the United States launching a single nuclear weapon of its own. Russia’s military networks are blind, the nation’s ability to strike back eliminated or severely degraded.

The incoming missiles were no ordinary weapons, but hypersonic glide vehicles developed largely in secret under the U.S. Prompt Global Strike program. They travel so fast, shooting them down is effectively impossible.

The capability, begun as Pentagon project in the mid-2000s, was envisioned as allowing America to strike anywhere on the globe nearly instantaneously, without resorting to nukes. In this futuristic war, it succeeds wildly.

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