Star Wars-style laser weapon tested for the first time and drone destroyed two miles away

A LASER cannon designed to unleash Star Wars-style battles has been tested for the first time.

British Dragon Fire shot down a drone from over two miles away.

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Images acquired from The Sun show the quadcopter bursting into flames.

The laser’s invisible 50kW beam can hit targets the size of a £1 coin traveling at the speed of sound. And it could be used to shoot down Russian hypersonic missiles or enemy satellites.

The £100million prototype, which requires no ammunition, had never been fired at full power before testing at the Ministry of Defense’s Porton Down range in Wiltshire last week.

It uses mirrors to focus the heat on one point.

Tests went up to 2.1 miles, but the laser’s peak range is classified.

A source said the gun was placed on top of a hill and fired down into a natural bowl as a safety precaution.

It is expected to be used first on warships as they have sufficient power.

It was built entirely in the UK by scientists from Leonardo, QiniteQ and MBDA.

Defense Science and Technology Lab’s Ben Maddison said the tests proved Britain had “world-leading capabilities”.