No, IR is available to civilians. You can buy it on Amazon. A lot of people use it to hunt hogs at night (they ruin crops). At any rate it is readily available.
The only downside of IR is if the enemy has night vision they can see it too. So you wait till the birds are on station to light up the target, then it's too late. I was a forward observer just as all of this tech was becoming available.
“You can buy it on Amazon”
I’ve had one of these for a while.
It’s passive infrared, so it won’t light you up,
but I can check you for a fever from 10 feet away...
;-)
Seek Thermal CompactPRO
High Resolution Thermal Imaging Camera for iOS
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GX8XTG5/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_9lZSEb3DST4NG
IR Smart Phone Adapter
Detector Resolution - Infrared 320 x 256 Pixels
Temp Range (F) - Infrared -40 Degrees to 626 Degrees
Temp Accuracy (F) - Infrared +/-5 Degrees
Thermal Resolution 76 800 Pixels
Emissivity Fixed 0.97
Spectral Response - Infrared 7.2 to 13.0um
Focus Range - Infrared 0.15m to Infinity Field of View -
IR Camera 24.0 Degrees Horizontal x 32.0 Degrees Vertical
Thermal Sensitivity - IR Camera 70 mK
Data Logging - Instrument Yes
Compatible Smart Phones iOS Devices