The comment about use in the Panther was really meant as a joke, sorry if it didn't come off that way. Between the size of the diode housing and the heat it generates, it wouldn't fly even if it was a good idea. Besides the fact, like Dan mentioned, it's really hard to see the dot on uneven surfaces, it's confusing in a room, I couldn't imagine it on a battlefield.

This is solely for working out the battle unit design. The only way to be certain of results is to eliminate all variables and aiming is a huge variable. If the laser is locked on the unit base, then the IR emitter will be too.