Lower maintenance, lower cost, and higher safety. Having something that is designed to start a fire permanently attached to an aircraft isn't ideal even at the

Lower maintenance, lower cost, and higher safety. Having something that is designed to start a fire permanently attached to an aircraft isn't ideal even at the best of times. If you're going in/out of warzones, the trade-offs could absolutely make sense but as a "standard feature" a IR laser is inexpensive and works "well enough."