But, as anyone who has done searches at night will tell you, NVG is the only way to safely fly the aircraft and give good search coverage.
FLIR isn't light amplification, it uses a different part of the EM spectrum and is often useless when there is moisture in the air or when there is no thermal contrast.
Flares and external lighting are nigh on useless looking for a person, especially an injured one who may not be able to attract your attention.
What does work is a combination of NVG, white light and a back up of FLIR - nothing else will match the capability of the milSAR that is being replaced.