Top scientists dispute US radar claims

A group of physicists from leading American colleges such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell University told journalists in Washington on Thursday that a proposed US missile defence system in Central Europe could be used to disable ballistic missiles launched from Russia. The claims contradict assertions from the US Missile Defence Agency that the system could only be used against missiles fired against so-called rogue states such as Iran.

The proposed US project, comprising a missile facility in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic, has been opposed by Russia who views it as a threat to its security.