The United Kingdom recently carried out a successful test of the DragonFire laser air-defense weapon. The test was conducted in the Hebrides Test Range in Scotland. The laser system is expected to be able to fill the air-defense role now filled by missile and gun platforms at a reduced cost.

The DragonFire weapon is precise enough to hit a £1 coin from a kilometre away, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) says.

It described the test, at its Hebrides Range in Scotland, as a "major step" in bringing the technology into service.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the technology could reduce "the reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage".

The MoD says both the Army and Royal Navy are considering using the technology as part of their future air defence capabilities.

The DragonFire system is not only accurate, but it's relatively inexpensive to operate — a win-win for the British Army and the Royal Navy.

While laser weaponry might sound like something from science fiction the US Navy has already installed systems on several destroyers.

However, missiles rather than lasers have been used to shoot down drones during the current conflict with Houthis in the Red Sea.

Missiles can be far more expensive than the drones they destroy, with some costing millions of pounds compared to a few thousand.

The MoD says firing the DragonFire system for 10 seconds is the cost equivalent of using a regular heater for an hour, with the cost of operating it typically less than £10 per shot.

In the event of a conflict, it's common for new weapons systems to be pressed into service in roles other than those for which they were initially designed and deployed. In the Second World War, for example, the infamous German 88mm Flak 18/36/37/41 was initially designed as an anti-aircraft gun but was successfully used in the ground artillery and anti-armor roles. The American "Quad Fifty," which linked four M2 Browning .50 caliber machine guns, was likewise originally intended as an anti-air platform but was pressed into service against armored vehicles as well.

Being a line-of-sight weapon, a laser, like any directed-energy weapon, is restricted to line-of-sight use. Even so, a laser that can knock down a drone may well also be able to knock down a small conventional aircraft or a missile — or it may be able to be scaled up to do so. A laser weapon also strikes at the speed of light, which would seem to simplify targeting. Further, the use of directed-energy weapons has the possibility of reducing the logistical train, as there are no fixed ammunition or missile reloads required.

Israel is also developing laser weapons, including their Iron Beam and Light Blade systems.

See Related: BREAKING. Israeli Media Reports First Successful Use of Laser Anti-Missile System

WATCH: Israel Releases Footage of First Use of 'Iron Sting' Precision Munition

The U.S. Navy is already deploying laser weapons, beginning with the deployment of an AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System on the amphibious transport USS Ponce in 2014.

This development could have a significant impact on the future of the United Kingdom's advanced tech, including directed-energy weapons systems. These new technologies may even be adapted to Scottish crews: