Do you know where your products are developed?

Knowing where mission-critical hardware and software products are engineered and manufactured is essential to national security. When products are intended for use at the highest level of government and at the tactical edge, it is imperative that you know where these products are being sourced.

So many companies outsource to foreign developers or contractors. For example, according to the DoD, China dominates the global advanced battery supply chain. China is responsible for providing 94% of the lithium hydroxide and 70% of the lithium carbonate. By relying this heavily on another country’s resources it not only limits how fast we can produce necessary products, but it creates a true national security concern.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine have created massive supply chain disruptions in the private sector. The US government is not immune to these disruptions and financial burdens, but the stakes are certainly higher at this level. An inability to meet strategic defense objectives and combat casualties are just a few of the results an insufficient supply chain can create. Using the battery example, if our relationship with foreign nations were to change or their supply decreased, it would cause a massive ripple effect. Losing access to a specific resource or product could be detrimental to the economy and lives. This example proves the point that domestic sourcing needs to increase.

The REDCOM advantage: USA-based development and manufacturing

REDCOM designs, engineers, and manufactures all our products in the United States. All of REDCOM’s manufacturing is located in the same building as our main offices, giving us complete control over sourcing, production, and quality control. We work only with vetted and trusted suppliers to ensure that we source the best and most reliable components for every product. REDCOM has proactively addressed every supply chain step to reduce risk, making our products TAA-compliant.

In addition to producing our own hardware products, all software development at REDCOM is done in-house. Though it’s common across the industry to outsource software engineering to countries such as India and Romania, we believe this is shortsighted and dangerous. First, outsourcing software development can create national security concerns and can leave us more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Second, it’s actually faster to develop in-house, enabling us to pivot our engineering efforts based on evolving customer requirements instantly.

To learn about REDCOM’s advantage of domestic engineering, reach out to sales@redcom.com

Using multiple communications methods at the tactical edge is critical to mission success, but it also leads to interoperability challenges. As a result, a warfighter or operator in the field might not be able to connect to someone in a command post, on a vehicle, or in headquarters, unless they have matching equipment. And this matching equipment may not be mobile — or feasible.

Tactical radios from different vendors often operate on different frequencies and waveforms, making them unable to talk to each other. The most logical answer to this problem is to carry multiple radios. But this places a great deal of encumbrance on the end user — forcing them to become competent with multiple pieces of equipment and then lug it all around.

This problem can be partially mitigated by a RoIP gateway. While many of these gateway devices can be cheap, they are often very limited in what they can do. For example, most basic radio gateways simply bridge different types of radios together, but they fail to integrate with the rest of the C2 network. A more advanced radio gateway is needed to ensure radio interoperability.

Critical comms: Why RoIP interoperability is essential for mission success

In order to stay ahead of adversaries, new technology is constantly being introduced to the battlefield. And yet at the tactical level, all of this innovation and disruption can pose great challenges. Every time a new piece of communications gear is deployed, interoperability suffers. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of setting up new equipment — especially in an austere environment — understands the nightmare of trying to get different pieces of hardware and software to talk to each other.

The solution to these interoperability challenges is a lightweight, ruggedized, smart RoIP gateway that bridges disparate endpoints/radios and provides full access to the rest of the C2 network. By utilizing a smart RoIP gateway, less gear is required, resulting in increased mobility, lower costs, and improved situational awareness.

The most full-featured smart RoIP gateway on the market is the REDCOM Sigma XRI platform. The XRI product family consists of small form factor RoIP/C2 platforms designed for all echelons of the tactical environment. Sigma XRI is powered by REDCOM’s flagship C2 software, REDCOM Sigma, which delivers voice, video, chat, and Radio over IP (RoIP) in a single ruggedized, low-SWaP box. This combination of Sigma and XRI ensures interoperability across all echelons. The XRI is available in multiple form factors: a stand-alone box and as a module for Klas Voyager and PacStar systems.

Sigma XRI: Your RoIP gateway solution

Primary, Alternative, Contingency, Emergency (PACE) plans are crucial to mission success. The REDCOM Sigma XRI is the key to seamlessly implementing a PACE plan by delivering maximum interoperability between VoIP devices, radios, SATCOM, and the C2 network.

With the XRI, warfighters no longer need to carry multiple radios. Their one radio of choice can communicate with any other RoIP endpoint connected to the XRI and can reach all the way back to other units — or even higher HQ. Less weight leads to less fatigue on the warfighter. A 152 for local comms extended via an XRI is a lot lighter than a 152 (VHF), 117G (MUOS), 160 (HF) being assigned to each Company Radio Operator, plus SOP battle rattle. Not only will the XRI reduce costs and increase interoperability but with REDCOM Sigma, interoperability across other forms of C2 comms, such as video and chat, will be extended as well.

By being fully interoperable, the XRI is your solution to a PACE plan, as multiple radio types can be taken into the field and still communicate. This reduces the unit’s footprint and increases mobility by reducing the number of radios required on a mission.

Sigma XRI: the cornerstone of a successful PACE plan

Sigma XRI can be the critical unifying building block for a PACE plan. With your donor radios attached to the XRI-400 you bring interoperability and redundancy to your communications network. If you lose access to your primary network (in this example, SATCOM), you can seamlessly migrate to the Alternative and sustain communications across the battlefield. If your unit only brings HF radios, you do not have to worry about reaching the platoon element communicating on VHF. The XRI removes the need for the middleman to relay these nets, saving time and lives.

For more information on how REDCOM offers frictionless RoIP though our C2 comms systems reach out to sales@redcom.com

REDCOM is committed to building the most flexible, versatile, and Low SWaP command and control communications solutions. It all starts with our flagship software product: REDCOM Sigma. REDCOM Sigma is deployed throughout multiple programs in the US Army and US Air Force.

REDCOM Sigma C2 Software

REDCOM Sigma is a complete software-based Command & Control solution with voice, video, chat, and conferencing. REDCOM Sigma® increases the warfighter’s operational flexibility while reducing size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements at the tactical edge. REDCOM Sigma is based on open standards with a focus on interoperability, flexibility, and ease of use, and is listed on the DoDIN Approved Products List (APL).

REDCOM Sigma includes the following capabilities:

• C2 Console: A powerful app that provides operators with a single pane of glass to monitor and control all communications within the tactical C2 network, including both SIP and radio endpoints.
• Conference Manager: Delivers advanced voice and video collaboration tools for secure, critical communications involving a few to thousands of parties in real-time.
• TSM Interoperability: Access all TSM Talk Groups (TG) simultaneously while bridging multiple TSM TGs together.
• Secure Client: Available on Windows® & Android™, Secure Client is a tactical C2 softphone with robust voice, video, and chat support.

REDCOM Hardware

All of our hardware products are powered by REDCOM Sigma C2 software. Our hardware is manufactured on-site at our Victor, NY, headquarters. REDCOM has proactively addressed every step of the supply chain to reduce risk and meet the federal standards for TAA compliance.

REDCOM Sigma XRI

Our REDCOM Sigma XRI hardware family has grown considerably to include Sigma XRI modules for the most popular tactical platforms.

• Sigma XRI-400: A purpose-built MIL-spec compute platform with integrated radio interop. Measures 8.4 x 5.75 x 2.6 in and weighs just 2.6 lbs. Can integrate into any tactical network.
• Sigma XRI-M4K: A module for the Klas Voyager platform, bringing all the power of REDCOM Sigma, C2 interoperability, and radio crossbanding to existing Voyager systems.
• PacStar 421 Module with XRI: A module for PacStar systems from Curtiss-Wright. Delivers all the power of Sigma XRI in a PacStar 400-series tactical computing module.

REDCOM SVG-1200

The REDCOM SVG was developed in partnership with General Dynamics Mission Systems. REDCOM provides the call control and conferencing capabilities, while the General Dynamics Sectéra® vIPer™ phones provide the ACC-compliant Type 1 encryption.

Conclusion

In addition to REDCOM’s own XRI and SVG hardware, REDCOM Sigma can be deployed on any third-party compute platform or CMOSS chassis. This type of flexibility with our products allows for increased C2 interoperability from government agencies to the tactical edge. Reach out to sales@redcom.com today for more information or to schedule a demo of REDCOM Sigma.

Sectera Wireline Terminal (SWT) Replacement

When the NSA released updated Advanced Cryptographic Capabilities (ACC) requirements, many existing solutions for red/black networks using a Type 1 gateway device or a Type 1 conferencing solution were effectively rendered end of support. This left many organizations searching for an updated solution or left to engineer their own ACC compliant system.

One such device rendered EOS was the General Dynamics’ Sectéra® Wireline Terminal (SWT).  This also left the REDCOM SWT-R virtually EOS. Until now, only IP Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) were available, which neglected non-IP networks.

The Solution: REDCOM Secure Voice Gateway

REDCOM’s Secure Voice Gateway uses the REDCOM SVG-1200 and General Dynamic’s Sectéra® vIPer™ devices to create a new ACC-compliant integrated solution for Type 1 secure voice gateways while connecting new and legacy SCIP secure voice devices.

The REDCOM Secure Voice Gateway delivers the essential routing functionality to generate secure conference calls while the NSA certified Sectéra vIPer Secure Phone provides Type 1 encryption and SCIP interoperability to protect sensitive voice calls classified Top Secret and below.

With the REDCOM SVG-1200 up to twelve standard production General Dynamics Sectéra® vIPer™ devices can be added to act as voice encryptors for TDM or SIP voice networks. If more than twelve secure talk paths are required, multiple SVG-1200 units may be networked together.

The encryptors allow any SVG-1200 line, trunk, or conference port to conduct secure voice communications with any SCIP-capable device, such as a SWT, STE, or vIPer. The voice path from the REDCOM system to the external terminal is completely secure.

Existing REDCOM HDX customers with the REDCOM SWT-R board and GD SWT encryptors will be able to replace them with REDCOM’s new SVG-1200 and GD vIPer encryptors. This solution will enable agencies to continue Type 1 secure conferencing while including all the power of REDCOM’s flagship Sigma platform.

Click here to download the SVG-1200 datasheet.

Over the past 18 months, REDCOM has seen an uptick in requests from Federal Agencies and DoD organizations that need to replace non-compliant legacy encryptors with new CryptoMod Standards. Customers have articulated the same problems about their current Type-1 Secure Conferencing systems: they are not ACC compliant; they suffer from poor voice quality; or they frequently do not work, forcing them to rely on another agency’s conferencing bridge.

Some organizations don’t even have a multi-party classified voice solution in place. Instead, they conduct one-to-one calls on a secure line and then convey the details of that conversation to another party on a separate call. When the speed and accuracy of information are paramount, this is a cumbersome and unsustainable process. REDCOM worked closely with the team at General Dynamics Mission Systems to help customers implement a collaborative Secure Voice Gateway solution that enables Type 1 voice communication between red (secure) and black (non-secure) networks. This solution incorporates the ACC-compliant General Dynamics Sectéra® vIPer™ devices as red/black encryptors. REDCOM technology handles the call control, gateway functions, and conferencing, all managed through an easy-to-use web-based admin platform.

To date, REDCOM has delivered more than 500 secure circuits to customers in the DoD and Federal space.

Use case #1: repurposing existing vIPer devices

A Federal agency approached REDCOM, explaining that their current legacy gateway lacks modern conferencing features and was not ACC compliant. This agency wanted to leverage its existing Sectéra vIPer endpoints and migrate to an IP network. REDCOM provided solutions for both their black and red networks using our Secure Voice Conferencing Gateway to support up to 12 secure voice paths using the vIPer devices as encryptors.

Use case #2: a turnkey solution with advanced conferencing features

A commercial military contractor needed to set up Secure Conference bridges for internal and external use. They also required advanced conference capabilities that included operator features, a system that could scale up to 60 ports, and multi-factor authentication support. REDCOM delivered a turnkey secure voice solution that leverages the powerful multi-party communications features in the Sigma Conference Manager. This intuitive app provides operators with full visibility of all conference attendees, with the ability to instantly add, drop, mute, and restore attendees. For enhanced security, this implementation also uses REDCOM’s Automatic Conference Code Generator to automatically rotate codes on a daily basis. This entire solution was delivered with operator training and tier 1 training for the customer’s technical staff.

Use case #3: development of time-saving features

REDCOM listened to customer requirements and the challenges COMSEC Managers face daily. For example, unlocking Sectéra vIPer phones or re-keying them through the National Re-key center can be a painstaking process. REDCOM has relieved the COMSEC Manager from performing this task and developed automated features to unlock or re-key these vIPer devices automatically.

TSM network overview

With the battlespace becoming more contested and congested, warfighters need reliable, flexible, and scalable RF communications. The TrellisWare® TSM™ Waveform is an advanced infrastructure-less, non-routing Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) technology developed by TrellisWare Technologies, Inc. TSM enables true tactical agility with enhanced bandwidth, simultaneous voice and data, and Position Location Information (PLI).

The TSM Waveform is rapidly being adopted by the military due to its reliability in harsh RF environments such as subterranean tunnels or in and around urban buildings. As a TRL-9 technology, the TSM waveform has been deployed worldwide in highly challenging tactical environments, supporting U.S. and coalition partners in various critical missions. In fact, TSM support is already a threshold requirement for the U.S. Army and SOCOM.

The TSM waveform supports simultaneous voice and data, with dedicated bandwidth for each. Administrators can configure up to 32 voice talk groups on each TSM network that won’t interfere with, or be blocked by, data transmission. Think of a talk group as a single radio “channel” that can accommodate any number of TSM-enabled radios.

REDCOM Sigma Command & Control with TSM interoperability

REDCOM® Sigma® is a unified C2 platform with voice, video, chat, conferencing, and radio interoperability in a single platform. REDCOM Sigma 3.1 introduces integrated support for radio talk groups on a TrellisWare® TSM™ network. Combined with Sigma’s existing support for IP endpoints — and traditional RF devices on Sigma XRI — Sigma maintains its position as the premier command and control platform for the tactical edge.

Key Benefits:

• Reduces radio requirements by requiring only a single TrellisWare gateway radio to access the entire TSM network
• Extends voice talk groups beyond the TSM network by linking TSM talk groups with other analog radios and the rest of the C2 network
• For units that have adopted the TSM waveform, REDCOM Sigma enables these warfighters to maintain interoperability with other branches or coalition partners on alternate/legacy waveforms (e.g. VHF/UHF)

REDCOM TSM Network Support

REDCOM Sigma 3.1 includes native interoperability with TSM talk groups. A simple IP connection to a TrellisWare gateway radio followed by quick setup in Sigma is all that is required, providing Sigma with access to all of the talk groups on a TSM MANET network. Because each talk group is a virtual radio network, REDCOM Sigma treats each talk group as its own independent radio net. This greatly reduces radio requirements at the tactical edge, since only one TrellisWare gateway radio is required for Sigma to access talk groups throughout an entire TSM MANET network.

On REDCOM Sigma XRI-400, since the connection to a TSM network is via IP, this does not use up one of the XRI’s four analog radio ports. This means a single Sigma XRI unit can bridge any number of IP endpoints with up to four analog radio nets and all available TSM talk groups on a single TSM MANET network.

REDCOM C2 Console and TSM network integration

The REDCOM C2 Console provides operators with a single pane of glass to monitor and control all communications within the tactical C2 network, including both SIP and radio endpoints. Every “connection” on the C2 Console is an individual Sigma-reachable endpoint, such as a SIP device, an analog phone via a SIP trunk, a radio voice net, or a TSM talk group.

Individual TSM talk groups can be added as connections in the C2 Console app. Each of these TSM talk groups can be bridged together with other TSM talk groups, radio nets, and SIP endpoints. These bridged connections are called patches, and they can be created on-the-fly by an operator simply by dragging and dropping connections together. In this manner, radio users on a TSM MANET network instantly have access to the rest of the C2 network as well as users on traditional VHF/UHF radio nets.

This solution is completely agnostic to the network, waveform, and device. This is a critical capability, as it maintains interoperability with legacy networks while allowing for the seamless adoption of new technology, such as the TSM waveform.