Why can’t the missile actually be set to home in on the laser the way laser guided weapons do?
The shoulder launched SAMs they are talking about are one man very portable and concealable small arms. It is not a complicated weapon and does not have lase guidance. I don’t know if these guys would be able to make a laser guided missile (or if they would even know if the plane had the laser system on it - if it doesn’t they;re screwed) - but every plane has a heat signature to lock on.