Mary Lou Robinson, who heads development of the weapons at the US’ Air Force Research Laboratory, detailed the weapons that were discussed during a White House meeting in August related to the hermit kingdom, according to two officials.

She said: "These high-powered microwave signals are very effective at disrupting and possibly disabling electronic circuits.”

Ms Robinson added that “there is no doubt” in her mind that the weapons work.

The weapons, dubbed Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) are attached to a cruise missile that is carried by B-52 bombers.

The microwave weapons are said to have a range of 700 miles where they could fly into the rogue state, at a low altitude, and emit microwave energy that has the ability to disable electronics.

Two Air Force sources claimed CHAMP could be ready within days.

The system could allow the US to dismantle North Korea’s ever-expanding military programme by targeting circuitry in Kim Jong-un’s missiles.

US senator and member of the Armed Services Committee Martin Heinrich stated: "Think about when you put something in your microwave that has metal on it.

"You know how badly that goes? Imagine directing those microwaves at someone's electronics.

“You spend years trying to perfect these things, and the tendency in the Pentagon is oftentimes to continue to try to perfect something.

“My tendency is to say, 'Hey, we've got something that really works. Let's take those things and put them into the hands of our men and women in uniform.'"

The Air Force and other US government agencies are said to have been working on microwave weapons for over 20 years - the technology has already been used on the ground.

Lieutenant General David Deptula claimed the weapons can be used in all weather conditions.

He went on: “They're employed at the speed of light. You can't get much faster than that in terms of achieving desired effects."

In 2009 a High Power Microwave emitter was attached to a non-nuclear cruise missile.

In 2012 CHAMP was tested after a B-52 bomber launched a missile equipped with the devastating technology over a series of constructed buildings fitted with computer systems to analyse its effectiveness.

The operation took place at the US’ Utah Test and Training Range.

Keith Coleman, the CHAMP programme manager for Boeing stated that the results were “exactly” as expected.

He declared: "It was as close to the real thing as we could get.

"It absolutely did exactly what we thought it was going to do.

"We had several different target classes in those facilities, and we predicted with almost 100 percent accuracy…which systems were going to be affected, which systems failed, and how."

The Utah example was followed by further tests and experiments - information surrounding the 2012 event were declassified by the Pentagon.

The Air Force has called a new version of the technology a “Super CHAMP” - this version uses a new power source.

The US weapons are not currently operational with Ms Robinson admitting that “it would take a little bit more time” to produce operational missiles.