Starting in the late 1960s, barbed tape was typically found in prisons and secure mental hospitals, where the increased breaching time for a poorly equipped potential escapee was a definite advantage. Until the development of reinforced barbed tape in the early 1980s (and especially after the September 11 attacks), it was rarely used for military purposes or genuine high security facilities because, with the correct tools, it was easier to breach than ordinary barbed wire. Since then, some military forces have replaced barbed wire with barbed tape for many applications, mainly because it is slightly lighter for the same effective coverage, and it takes up very little space compared to barbed wire or reinforced barbed tape when stored on drums.
Starting in the late 1960s barbed tape was typically found in prisons and secure mental hospitals where the increased breaching time for a poorly equipped potential escapee was a definite advantage Until the development of reinforced barbed tape in the early 1980s (and especially after the September 11 attacks) it was rarely used for military purposes or genuine high security facilities because with the correct tools it was easier to breach than ordinary barbed wire Since then some military forces have replaced barbed wire with barbed tape for many applications mainly because it is slightly lighter for the same effective coverage and it takes up very little space compared to barbed wire or reinforced barbed tape when stored on drums