The MBITR was developed by USSOCOM and Thales Communications in the 1990s and went into production in 2000, to address the need for a secure multiband handheld radio. As the US Army realized the benefits of the system it began wider deployment with Stryker Combat Teams and then with troops deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. As of August 2007, 100,000 MBITRs have been fielded, over 31,000 of which are in use by the US Army.