Watch the US Air Force use a ‘lightsaber’ device to slice through steel

TEC Torch

The US Air Force’s new gadget is probably the closest thing to a lightsaber we are likely to get.

But instead of fighting off storm troopers, the TEC Torch is designed to slice through metal using a blade-shaped flame.

Inside the 13-inch long ‘handheld breaching tool’ is a thermite cartridge containing a blend of metals and metal oxides pressed and sealed inside an aluminium shell. When the fire button on the handle is pressed, the internal electric igniter next to the cartridge is initiated and sends a jet of metal vapour firing out the end.

The jet of vaporised metal burns at 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit and fires through the nozzle for around 2 seconds. The intense heat causes metal to melt, and can erode through half-inch steel bars in just a few seconds.

As well as aiding the military, the torch can also be used by law enforcement and first responders to accidents and disasters, plus it can even be used underwater!

To see the TECTorch in action and learn more about how it works, watch the video below…

Discover more amazing technology in the latest issue of How It Works magazine. It’s available from all good retailers, or you can order it online from the ImagineShop. If you have a tablet or smartphone, you can also download the digital version onto your iOS or Android device. To make sure you never miss an issue of How It Works magazine, make sure you subscribe today!

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