The British Armed Forces could one day be going into battle armed with laser weapons developed by a Cambridge company.

The Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, based at Cambridge Airport off Newmarket Road, is set to benefit from a £30m Ministry of Defence (MoD) research project looking into the viability of military lasers.

If successful, it is hoped the British military could be using the new arsenal by the mid-2020s.

The sci-fi sounding scheme has drawn comparisons to kit from the world of James Bond or Star Wars - but for now at least the plan is for something on a slightly smaller scale.

The deal was signed yesterday between the Government and the UK Dragonfire Consortium, an international group of military engineering firms, which includes Marshall.

The contract will test how lasers can be used to pick up and track targets at various ranges over land and sea, to allow for “precision use”.

An MoD spokesman said the project aimed to “inform decisions on the future of the programme and help the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) establish a road map to an in-service capability.”

Harriet Baldwin, minister for defence procurement, who announced the deal, said: “The UK has long enjoyed a reputation as a world leader in innovation and it is truly ground-breaking projects like the Laser Directed Energy Weapon which will keep this country ahead of the curve.

“The Defence Innovation Initiative and £800M Defence Innovation Fund aim to encourage imagination, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, in pursuit of maintaining a military advantage in the future.

“With a rising defence budget, and a £178 billion equipment plan, our commitment to innovation will deliver a safer and more prosperous Britain.

“The MOD’s investment in such innovative solutions demonstrates how the Government’s £178 billion equipment plan, supported by a rising defence budget, is ensuring our armed forces have the most effective and innovative capability available.

“The innovation initiative aims to strengthen the defence partnerships which make such projects possible, keeping the UK safe and secure in a complex world.”

In 2015 the first sea lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas was reported as saying he hoped the Royal Navy would have developed a ship-mounted laser cannon by 2020.

The contract is eventually intended to develop lasers for use by all the armed services. The tests will see whether a laser can disrupt and eventually destroy drones, missiles and other targets.

The intention is to have lasers operational by the army and navy by the mid-2020s and by the air force by the mid-2030s.

Dstl’s Peter Cooper added: “This is a significant demonstration programme aimed at maturing our understanding of what is still an immature technology.

“It draws on innovative research into high power lasers so as to understand the potential of the technology to provide a more effective response to the emerging threats that could be faced by UK armed forces.”