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(Image: Getty Images)

The weapon, called the ZKZM500 laser assault rifle, fires a beam that can pass through windows and cause “instant carbonisation” of skin and tissue.

It is silent and the laser cannot be seen with the naked eye, making it perfect for assassinations, according to British intelligence sources.

An insider said: “The laser beam strikes a target at the speed of light. It will be unseen and unheard.

(Image: Cui Nan/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/VCG via Getty Images)

“The first anyone knows that an attack has taken place will be when the target burst into flames or drops down dead.”

The laser is powered by a lithium battery and can fire up to 1,000 shots before needing a recharge.

Scientists claim the “Star Wars” weapon is years ahead of its time and can burn through clothing in a split second.

One researcher who participated in field testing the gun said being shot would create a level of pain “beyond endurance”.

(Image: Ulrich Baumgarten via Getty Images)

The 15mm calibre weapon weighs 6.6lb, about the same as an AK-47, and has a range of 800 metres, or half a mile.

It can be mounted on cars, boats and planes.

US and British scientists are desperate to get their hands on one of the rifles, which are due to go into mass production in China.

One senior defence source said the first units are likely to be given to anti-terror squads in the Chinese armed police.

(Image: Getty Images)

In a hostage situation it could be used to fire through windows at targets and disable the kidnappers.

The laser could also be used in covert military operations.

The beam is powerful enough to burn through a gas tank and ignite the fuel storage facility in an airport.

In recent years US forces operating in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea have complained of laser attacks from Chinese military bases or vessels that looked like fishing boats.

Last month, the US government lodged a formal complaint that a “weapons-grade” laser device fired from a Chinese naval base in Djibouti had left two military pilots with minor eye injuries.