Government workers and other may soon be able to bring not just their files, but their entire computer on a flash drive that could be used anywhere.

Lockheed said its new IronClad brand USB drive would pack an entire operating system, software, settings and files onto a flash drive that could be used in just about any computer or laptop in the world.

Imagine leaving the office at the end of the day and, instead of slinging a laptop bag on your shoulder, you tuck a flash drive the size of a stick of gum in your pocket, said Charles Croom, Lockheed Martin's Vice President of Cyber Security Solutions.

With IronClad drives, employees who need to work at home or on travel, or field operatives who deploy around the country or around the globe, can carry not just their files but their entire computer on a three-inch USB drive.

When plugged in, a user's operating system would boot directly from the USB drive. As a result, a user files never touch the borrowed computer's hard drive and the device leaves no trace where it was plugged in.

Each device is fully encrypted and designed to act as a node in an organization's computer network.

We've built a smart network around each drive, so IT managers have round-the-clock control of and visibility into the status and security of every device, Croom explained.

The drives are built to be tamper proof in a solid metal casing that protects against heat, cold, sand and water. Lockheed says it could remotely send a self-destruct command if it lost or stolen.

The drives will sell for $350 with 8 gigabytes of storage and $450 with 16 gigabytes, and will be available initially to US government workers.