Yah, in vanilla, lasers are available right off along with medkits and scanners as the 'best humanity has to offer', but it does say you get the tech after lasers.
I'm guessing it was actually meant to be a spin-off tech of E-115, anyway, and that is the string it was meant to use.
In area 51 it is somewhat similar, but lasers are mid-tier weapons, you develop after Gauss Weaponry, all of which you derive from Alien alloys. Or steal from the MIB.