EspañolIn line with the United States Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, REDCOM developed Sigma®XRI-400, a full-featured C2 platform that delivers voice, video, chat, and radio interoperability in a single box. REDCOM Sigma XRI-400 consists of a small form factor purpose-built platform with four radio ports, all powered by REDCOM’s flagship Sigma C2 software. This solution delivers the following key benefits:
Low SWaP
To rapidly deploy, disperse, and maneuver, the USAF needs full Command and Control capabilities in all areas of operation including air and land. Larger C-series aircraft (C-17, C-5, etc.) may not be feasible in the contested environment, therefore C2 capabilities must fit into a smaller C-130 or a CV-22. Additionally, Airmen must be able to quickly ruck C2 capabilities and jump them out of an aircraft in the transition to land operations. The small form factor of Sigma XRI-400 allows the solution to be mounted in aircraft, packed, hand-carried, or added to an existing data/comms rack to support all areas of operations.
BRIDGE DISPARATE RF & IP ENDPOINTSWITH REDCOM SIGMA® XRI-400
A single Sigma XRI-400 unit can bring together RF and IP devices from multiple military units or organizations, enabling tactical users to command, control, and communicate.
The XRI hardware includes four analog ports to connect to four separate radio networks. TSM support allows a TrellisWare TSM radio with up to 32 talk groups to connect into the XRI network. The REDCOM C2 Console app enables an operator to monitor and control all connections and dynamically patch them together.
Interoperability
Airfield ops are joint in nature and will always grapple with the complexities of the combined joint environment. Whether you are conducting a large-scale airfield seizure or inserting a small SOF team into austere airfield, interoperability with joint forces is critical. By connecting up to four donor radios directly to the XRI-400, you can instantly bridge the gap between disparate radio networks, endpoints, or frequencies, allowing for seamless communications between Joint and Coalition forces. Additionally, Sigma XRI-400 allows radio users to communicate directly with users on any SIP end device and can even participate in voice conferences.
Resilient Communications
Once an airfield is discovered it is only a matter of time before it is targeted, not only by long range weapon systems, but also directed electronic attacks. Sigma XRI-400 allows the USAF to leverage multiple communications lines, which is especially critical in scenarios where using whatever means available is crucial to the mission. If one line of communication is compromised the next down the line can be used from IP to Wi-Fi, LTE, SATCOM, UHF, VHF, HF, and TSM.
Command & Control
Regardless of interoperability challenges that arise from joint operations, at all times the people on the ground need to be able to maintain positive control of an active runway. Additionally, they must be able to communicate back to higher C2 nodes so they can receive updates on what’s coming to them and relay back time sensitive updates that may pose a threat to inbound aircraft. Sigma XRI-400 allows ground forces to maintain connection with higher command as well as other ground units, all without microwave antennas or satellite shots. In the event the airfield becomes a DIL (disconnected, intermittent, and limited) environment, Sigma XRI-400 can act as a stand-alone C2 comms system.
Mobility/Rapid set up and tear down
When a position is compromised, it is imperative to quickly tear down, disperse, and rapidly re-deploy to a new position. Designed for shoot, move, communicate operations, Sigma XRI-400 was developed to be resilient to hard shutdowns and power up in under two minutes with no loss in progress. This means communications can be fully operational before tents have even gone back up.
Ease of Use
Looking at ACE from a personnel stand point, people in the Air Force will be tasked with taking on responsibility that may not be in their primary scope of expertise. Multi-capable airmen will be required to reduce the size of the force required to operate on a small, austere airfield. If a load master with no technical training is going to be asked to run comms, the system must be simple to learn and easy to use. To accommodate, the Sigma XRI-400 admin platform was built intuitively for today’s warfighter — the platform is incredibly easy to learn and operate without the need for field service reps and IT experts.