It has been dubbed 'Star Wars technology' by researchers, and can fire projectiles at six times the speed of sound.

Now, it's ready to hit the road.

The US Navy has revealed its railgun prototype will soon begin its first field demonstrations in Virginia.

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US military has been working on the weapon since 2005 and say it is one of the future technologies of warfare

THE RAILGUN READY FOR WAR An electric pulse is sent to the railgun which creates an electromagnetic force which releases the projectile at Mach 6, or 4,500 mph. The immense kinetic energy generated by the hypersonic weapon is then transferred to the target on impact, obliterating it. The electromagnetic force generated can be adjusted, depending on range of the target. Advertisement

At the 2017 Naval Future Force Science and Technology Expo in Washington DC, an ONR spokesman revealed that the weapon is ready for field demonstrations at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division's new railgun Rep-Rate Test Site at Terminal Range, according to New Atlas.

Initial rep-rate fires (repetition rate of fires) of multi-shot salvos already have been successfully conducted at low muzzle energy, officials say.

The next test sequence calls for safely increasing launch energy, firing rates and salvo size.

Railgun rep-rate testing will be at 20 megajoules by the end of the summer and at 32 megajoules by next year.

To put this in perspective, one megajoule is the equivalent of a one-ton vehicle moving at 160 miles per hour.

'Railguns and other directed-energy weapons are the future of maritime superiority,' said Dr. Thomas Beutner, head of ONR's Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department.

'The U.S. Navy must be the first to field this leap-ahead technology and maintain the advantage over our adversaries.'

Earlier this month the US Navy revealed the latest tests of a radical electromagnetic gun that can fire projectiles at six times the speed of sound.

Described as 'Star Wars technology' by researchers, these powerful missiles don't rely on chemical propellants and are fuelled by electricity alone.

Strong magnetic fields a 'pulse power system' is used to send propellants flying at 4,500mph, and t he technology has previously been shown to penetrate concrete at 100 miles away.

Railguns are touted as one of the future technologies of warfare, using kinetic and laser energies instead of classic controlled explosives.

'The railgun is a true warfighter game changer,' the Navy says.

'Wide-area coverage, exceptionally quick response and very deep magazines will extend the reach and lethality of ships armed with this technology.'

The latest tests show the weapon firing multi-shot salvos at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Virginia.

Researchers hope to eventually hit a 10-rounds-per-minute firing rate.

As the video shows, when it fired, the weapon throws off a cloud of smoke, as it is moving so fast it vaporizes the air around it

Because the missile is fired using kinetic energy this eliminates the risks associated with keeping explosives on a ship.

The Department of the Navy's science and technology corporate board chartered the Innovative Naval Prototype (INP) to build the EM Railgun, which uses generated by the ship, according to the Office of Naval Research.

An electric pulse is sent to the railgun which creates an electromagnetic force which releases the projectile at Mach 6, or 4,500 mph.

The railgun was tested Dahlgren naval facility's new Terminal Range in Virginia.

The Department of the Navy's science and technology corporate board chartered the Innovative Naval Prototype (INP) to build the EM Railgun

'A future weapon system at this energy level would be capable of launching a 100+ nautical mile projectile'.

The railgun was tested Dahlgren naval facility's new Terminal Range in Virginia.

The US Navy has been working on the gun with BAE Systems since 2005.

Because the missile is fired using kinetic energy, this eliminates the risks associated with keeping explosives on a ship

During phase I developers focused on developing pulsed power technology.

During phase II, which started in 2012, will further develop the pulsed power system and the launcher system.

'We've got to move away from gunpowder,' said Fox's defense analyst, Allison Barrie last year.

'The future is lasers and electromagnetic railguns', he said.

Last year, a similar device called the Blitzer railgun also released a missile at Mach 6 speeds.

The technology uses electromagnets to send its projectiles hurtling off at thousands of miles per hour. The force generated can be adjusted, depending on the range of the target

The EM Railgun relies on energy that is generated by the ship, according to the Office of Naval Research

The US Navy are testing an electromagnetic gun that can fire ammo at 4,500 mph

Relying on the same technology, this railgun was designed by San Diego-based General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS).

It also used electromagnets to send its projectiles hurtling off at thousands of miles per hour.

The electromagnetic force generated can be adjusted, depending on the range of the target.

An electric pulse is sent to the railgun which creates an electromagnetic force which releases the projectile at Mach 6, or 4,500 mph

The advanced military technology would mean that, in practice, projectiles could hit speeds equivalent to more than 4,500mph on leaving the chamber, super-heating the air in front of them and generating a sonic boom as it smashes through the sound barrier.

According to Barrie, these ultra-high speeds are 'critical for maximum effect' in destroying targets.

GA-EMS has worked steadily to develop the technology, as has its rival British firm BAE Systems, and the advanced military technology has undergone testing with the US Navy since 2012.

The main advantages over traditional explosives are stated as improved safety - due to less explosives on board - and could drastically reduce the costs

In warfare, the weapon's could be used to strike targets on land, sea or air with great precision.

The main advantages over traditional explosives are stated as improved safety - due to less explosives on board - and could drastically reduce the costs.

'This is so important in terms of maintaining naval dominance and in ensuring the United States has absolute naval, maritime superiority going forward in the future,' added Fox's Barrie.