EspañolWhether we’re talking about the Army’s Project Convergence, the Navy’s Project Overmatch, or the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), the ultimate goal is Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2). Regardless of overarching concepts, it all boils down to the importance of command and control on the battlefield. Full adoption of JADC2 may still be years away, but REDCOM is already meeting many of these goals within the tactical environment today. That’s why the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) selected REDCOM Sigma® as the default C2 communications platform for multiple programs.
Our focus is on delivering the most reliable and interoperable tactical comms technology while reducing training and lifecycle costs. As a nimble, U.S.-based company, REDCOM can provide unparalleled flexibility and responsiveness to meet evolving DoD requirements.
Why the Army Chose REDCOM Sigma
REDCOM Sigma provides the Army with numerous significant advantages:
- Simplifies the network: Existing solutions require the deployment of multiple virtual machines or pieces of hardware for the same functionality. REDCOM Sigma software delivers call control, conferencing, and transcoding, all within a single lightweight software instance with no additional hardware infrastructure. Sigma provides tactical users with just one platform to buy, configure, deploy, and train on, significantly reducing complexity and lifecycle costs.
- Greatly reduces training time and cost: Sigma provides one intuitive interface for all C2 comms capabilities, built from the ground up for the warfighter. New users can get trained on Sigma in hours or days — not weeks. This drastically reduces training costs and improves the tooth-to-tail ratio (T3R) by enabling teams to confidently implement, operate, and maintain core C2 functions without requiring IT specialists or field service reps.
- User Interface built for the modern warfighter: Sigma puts the ability to monitor and troubleshoot voice back into the hands of the warfighter, which hasn’t been the case for over a decade. Sigma’s simple user interface meets the changing demographics of the Army Signal Corps, giving them a product that everyone can quickly learn and use.
- Interoperates with existing devices: With a standards-based approach, REDCOM has ensured that Sigma is interoperable with the existing deployed base of handsets. This results in cost savings for the Army by avoiding the “rip and replace” of tens of thousands of handsets. Sigma also works with NetOps solutions, allowing units to control bandwidth and allocate resources to voice and video.
- A future-proof ecosystem: Sigma is a modern software solution in active development by a U.S. company with U.S.-based engineers. REDCOM has a proven track record of responding quickly to evolving customer requirements. Our development efforts are in sync with the Army’s operational pace, enabling us to deliver highly stable and reliable software at predictable intervals.
- Integrated voice, video, and chat: Sigma supports the coalition environment with a nested voice capability across the services. Sigma’s lightweight video is optimized for DIL environments, meeting the needs of staff elements at multiple echelons of the Army. Finally, Sigma supports both XMPP and IRC chat, and our chat client is designed to increase the operational tempo and reduce the need for email.
- Flexible deployment options. REDCOM Sigma can be deployed on virtual machines, cloud environments, bare metal, or on REDCOM’s purpose-built XRI platforms. The XRI-400 is a low-SWaP, stand-alone device with RoIP, while the XRI-M4K is a module that brings the same functionality to Klas Voyager systems. Regardless of what hardware the Army is using, REDCOM provides an easy way to get Sigma onto the network.
Expanding Real-time Tactical Comms with the Sigma C2 Console
Since the Army’s initial adoption of the Sigma platform in 2020, REDCOM has continued to develop new features in Sigma, sparking continued interest from tactical users looking to modernize their networks. With the addition of the C2 Console to the Sigma software suite in 2022, REDCOM Sigma is positioned to be an inexpensive, easy-to-use solution when compared to legacy PTT solutions.
Legacy PTT Console solutions within the tactical domain have grown too unstable, unreliable, complex, and expensive to maintain. Enter the REDCOM C2 Console: a modern, lightweight, easy-to-use tactical group communications application that is a part of REDCOM’s Sigma software.
The REDCOM C2 Console provides tactical users with a single pane of glass to monitor and control all IP and RF comms on the C2 network. Users can quickly establish connections and create persistent patches to facilitate immediate comms between parties on disparate endpoints, including SIP devices, radio voice nets, or TSM talk groups.
The C2 Console can be used as a simple call controller, bringing together multiple SIP devices. However, the real power comes with the RoIP functionality. Whether running Sigma on a REDCOM XRI platform or connecting a third-party gateway to Sigma, the C2 Console provides the means to dynamically control and patch together multiple radio nets and SIP endpoints through real-time drag-and-drop.
REDCOM C2 Console Key Benefits over legacy PTT Console solutions:
- Flexible licensing. No need to pay subscription fees. One license file is all that’s required to activate the C2 Console on your network.
- Reduces cyber risk. The REDCOM C2 Console does not have to adhere to Windows STIGs. The C2 Console is just an app in Sigma, so one scan of Sigma is all that’s required to get the software deployed on the tactical network.
- Single plane of glass. Unified interface for controlling all IP and RF comms, including TSM talk groups.
- No additional infrastructure. This solution allows for reduced infrastructure requirements for multiple host servers.
Sigma: The essential C2 platform for DoD network modernization
With our Sigma C2 software, REDCOM has proven that we are an integral part of the Army’s network modernization efforts. REDCOM will continue to invest in R&D on the Sigma platform to meet evolving requirements and deliver enhanced functionality for our warfighters at the tactical edge. Adopting Sigma today will deliver tangible benefits — improved interoperability, mobility, resilience, and cost savings — while paving the way toward a JADC2 future.
The following Army units have adopted Sigma:
- The Tactical Network Transport At-The-Halt (TN-T ATH)
- Tactical Network Transport On-The-Move (TN-T OTM)
- Enroute Mission Command (EMC)
- Commercial Coalition Equipment (CCE)
- Disaster Incident Response Emergency Communications Terminal (DIRECT)
- Expeditionary Signal Battalion- Enhanced
- PdM SATCOM, Family of Terminals (FoT): T2C2 & SCOUT
- BVTC III
- PdM UNCI, ST