First responders will also be given the torch to use in the field

Soldiers won't being using a new 'lightsaber' to battle storm troopers, but they will be using it to slice through steel while in war-zones.

The US Air force and Energetic Materials & Products joined forces to create a handheld breaching tool, and it resembles Luke Skywalker's lightsaber.

Tech Torch is a compact, light-weight tool that generates a blade-shaped like a flame, and can rip through half-inch steel bars in seconds.

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The US Air force and Energetic Materials & Products joined forces to create a handheld breaching tool, which resembles Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. Tech Torch is a compact, light-weight tool that generates a blade-shaped like a flame, and can rip through half-inch steel bars in less than a second

HOW TEC TORCH WORKS Combustion products jet through an engineered nozzle for approximately 2 seconds. The escaping jet is a combination of vaporized metal and particulate which quickly heat the target above its melting point and erodes the target material away. Cartridges contain an unique thermite formulation for maximum temperature and velocity for optimized cutting performance. The cutting jet burns hotter than 4000°F. Cartridges are designed to contain this intense pressure and thermal energy safely within inches of the operators hand. Advertisement

'It works through a combination of chemistry and physics' said Stephanie Johnson, a research chemist and program manager at the lab.

'The extremely high heat renders the steel to a molten state, and the force of the propulsion erodes the material very rapidly.'

The device is about 13 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, weighs about one pound and can easily break locks bars and other barriers.

The blade-like flame creates a brief, but extremely hot metal vapor that reaches temperatures over 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Although the torch was initially developed for Special Forces, first responders will also be given the device to help them in the field.

The flashlight-sized torch can also be used underwater, allowing divers to utilize its power.

The device was developed by Energetic Materials & Products (EMPI), a company that specializes in application, testing, and product development of explosives, ballistics and pyrotechnics.

With the help of the Air Force's Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, EMPI was able to develop a product to replace the traditional torch that requires large oxygen tanks, hoses, separate ignition systems and weighs 16 pounds.

The device is 13 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, weighs about one pound and can easily break locks bars and other barriers. The blade-like flame creates a brief, but extremely hot metal vapor that reaches temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit

'I started working with EMPI around 2010,' said Don Littrell, a senior engineer at Air Force Research Laboratory.

'What's great about this program is that it allows us to tap into the innovation and creativity that exists out there among small business owners.'

In order for the military to get high-tech gadgets, like Tec Torch, the government will put up seed money for small businesses to develop a prototype of the product.

Then individuals from the research laboratories, like Littrell, will help these businesses with product development.

Additional funding becomes available if the product meets expectations.

'As a program manager, we are always looking for products that can have commercial applications, as well,' Johnson said.

The Tec Torch strongly resembles the lightsaber used in the 'Star Wars' films

As of now, a limited-rate production facility has been producing 20 units per day.

Additional funding will increase the manufacturing process to around 1,000 units a day.

'EMPI has already provided over 600 hand-held units to SOF and for local and federal law enforcement agencies for determining reliability, performance and safety, and several of these units have been used in demonstration for SOF and law enforcement customers,' said Dennis Wilson, EMPI's SBIR principal investigator.