Halon 1301 was developed in a joint venture between the U.S. Army and DuPont in 1954, and introduced as an effective gaseous fire suppression fixed systems agent in the 1960s, and was used around valuable materials, such as aircraft, mainframe computers, and telecommunication switching centers, usually in total flooding systems. It was also widely used in the maritime industry to add a third level of protection should the main and emergency fire pumps become inoperable or ineffective. Halon 1301 was never widely used in portables outside military and spacecraft applications, due to its limited range, and invisible discharge.