The nimble craft have been used in several attacks in recent years and are notoriously difficult to shoot out of the sky with conventional weaponry.

The new laser cannons will be loaded onto US Army "Stryker" vehicles – eight-wheeled, all-terrain beasts that can hit speeds of 60 mph.

The cannons looks like a large, black bulb jutting from the rear of the vehicles, and are used to defend against air threats.

It produces a whopping 50 kilowatts of power – about the same amount needed to power three homes.

As well as drones and missiles, the laser could be used to take down some fixed-wing aircraft, according to the Army.

Several laser beams could be directed at a target at once to burn holes through larger foes.

It's not yet clear where they will be deployed, nor how many the US Army plans to produce in future.

The Royal Navy is working on a £30million scheme to build powerful lasers to protect our ships from missiles.

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