Sneaking around at night, setting up various scenarios of defense and offense,
What does one -hypothetically speaking- do to defeat the FLIR that is sure to be employed?
How much insulation is needed to thwart the heat signature?
Without ways to address this issue, one sneaking around at night may not be as stealthy as one wishes they were.
More so if Federalis vs urban yutes.
I put FLIR into the category of drones, surveillance satellites and other high-tech tools. Governments like to use their existence as a propaganda tool to make folks believe that escaping detection is not possible, so don’t even try. The truth is that all of these tech tools have limitations.
Unlike the film “Enemy of the State,” (and other Hollywood movies) satellites can’t be manuevered around like sports cars to hover over a city. That function would be taken by drones, but they are not in common use (yet). FLIR can’t see through glass, and heavy vegetation also hinders it. If you are in thick woods, your blurry heat signature could also be a deer or a large dog.
Once you are located by technical means, yes, it’s hard to escape. But keep in mind that at any time, 99.99% of your operating area will NOT be under such surveillance.
As far as hiding from FLIR, there are home-made ponchos incorporating a space blanket and fiberglass cloth. It blocks and diffuses the heat very effectively, or so I am told. The problem is knowing that you are under FLIR observation. You might take anti-FLIR methods (the poncho, getting into very thick cover, hiding under a barn roof etc) as soon as you detect the sound of a helicopter.
UAVs, you will never hear or see. They operate above visual and audible range.