As a direct result of its exceptional operational performance, additional quantities of the MBITR were subsequently procured, and it is now considered a part of the ADF's Combat Net Radio (CNR) Fleet. The MBITR has successfully evolved from a specialized item, used operationally, into an in-service inventory item. Combat proven by Australia�s special and conventional forces, the MBITR has successfully passed a comprehensive regimen of testing to qualify for acceptance.

Australia, the largest user of the MBITR outside the U.S., was the first country to receive the MBITR. Used by Australia�s Navy, Army and Air Force, there are now over 2,500 MBITRs in service with the ADF, validating a unique place in the ADF's CNR Fleet.

"This acceptance by the ADF validates the fundamental role that the MBITR plays in providing both special forces and conventional warfighters with crucial communications interoperability capabilities in size, weight, and power-constrained environments," said Diane Reineke, Thales Communications' vice president for business development. "Further, with the MBITR, future operation with the next generation of communication equipment is ensured."

The most capable fielded, production handheld radio available today, the AN/PRC-148 MBITR is serving defense, allied, and coalition forces globally with extensive use in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. In a ruggedized package weighing approximately two pounds (867.5 grams), the MBITR provides unprecedented interoperability with existing military legacy systems and commercial radios. Additionally significant for the Australian military is that Thales' MBITR technology provides a risk-free, seamless, and cost-effective upgrade path to the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) with the JTRS-Enhanced MBITR, or JEM, which Thales has developed as prime contractor under the U.S. Department of Defense JTRS Cluster 2 Program.

The complete MBITR system solution includes the 20-watt Vehicle Adapter, dual radio AN/VRC-111 Vehicle Adapter Amplifier with SINCGARS interface tray, Base Station for fixed applications, self-contained Tactical Repeater for range extension, and Man Portable System with 20-watt broadband amplifier.

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