Photons emitted at higher temperatures have higher frequency and therefore higher energy . This is important because electrons in sensors need to be excited (pass to higher energy level) so sensor could work , and for that they need certain quantity of energy which would be supplied by photon . You are right that older sensors require higher temperatures in order to work , because their electrons require more energy .
Modern sensors could detect photons emitted at lower temperatures, even up to 10 degrees Celsius (for example this
) . But even for them, absorption coefficient rises with higher frequency
. Or in simpler terms, again you would detect object with higher temperature easier (at larger distance)
Final consideration is purely practical . Modern sensors made of HgCdTe (and to extent InSb) require cooling to be effective at lower temperatures (usually with liquid nitrogen) . That means they are not that effective in military searches where you need to keep sensors running for hours in order to pickup something. They are better in situations when you already have contact and you need to lock your IR sensor on it .