Intelligent Rail®

I-Rail®
Features

Central Power Source

Central rechargeable and primary power options optimize usage, improve weapon balance and reduce system weight and soldier load.

Centralized Enabler Control

Single button pad provides central control for all weapon-mounted enablers, including remote radio Push-To-Talk (PTT).

Maintain Weapon Control

Operators keep both hands on the weapon while operating the enablers.

Drives Weapon Sensor Fusion

Weapon-mounted enablers and sensors connected through the I-Rail® feed directly into the operator’s End User Device (EUD) and enhances squad/battlefield situational awareness.

I-Rail®
Technology Overview

The Intelligent Rail® platform technology, also known as the “Picatinny Smart Rail” or the Powered Rail®, has been successfully developed over the last 12 years using an early grant under the U.S. Army SBIR program and with subsequent private funding. Our patent-protected I-Rail® power and data connection is a critical development that ensures soldier safety and promotes key design and technical advances for immensely improved soldier situational awareness by:

Powering all rail-mounted optics, enablers and sensors from a central battery pack located on the weapon

Creating a sealed, ruggedized printed circuit board (PCB) inserted in each Mil-Std-1913 Picatinny Rail
Withstanding the rigors of combat, rough use, and extreme barrel temperatures and submersible to 20 meters
Being fully-compliant with MIL-STD-1913 and NATO 4694 rail geometry
Eliminating tape switches and cables through the I-Rail® control module with user-assigned buttons
Establishing secure and encrypted device integration through data and communications capabilities embedded within the I-Rail® PCB and enabler connection

The Intelligent Rail® Platform includes the Rail Operating System™ (ROS™) that seamlessly bridges the on-weapon network, the soldier’s EUD, and server- or cloud-based endpoints:

A standards-based Ethernet/IP stack having an integrated software platform providing network, command and control, and a common data language for I-Rail networks
ROS enables heterogenous accessories and sensors from disparate vendors to interoperate, creating a sophisticated logic-based multi-sensor solution for actionable intelligence
Our gateway node can utilize varied modes of data transport and is compatible with the U.S. Army’s Intra-Soldier Wireless (ISW) protocol

I-Rail® Generational History

Generation	Year	Features
1	2009	Integral buttstock battery pack Hand built rail circuit boards 9.6 Kbps comms using BPL chips
2	2011	All features of Gen 1, plus: Retrofittable buttstock battery pack Sealed laminate rail circuit boards Electrified pivot pin 19.2 Kbps FSK comms using 900 MHz carrier Third-party field testing
3	2012	All features of Gen 2, plus: Accurate gas gauging in buttstock battery Production grade rail circuit boards Electrified pivot pin 19.2 Kbps FSK comms using 900 MHz carrier Third-party lab and field testing
4	2014	All features of Gen 3, plus: Redesigned pistol grip Simplified electrical path Increase shielding on rail circuit boards Plastic parts designed for injection molding 768 kbps comms using Manchester encoding
5	2016	All features of Gen 4, plus: M-Lok modular handguard design Continuous upper circuit board Video transmission over I-Rail Spot reporting and data integration 10 Mbps comms using Manchester encoding US Army testing at AEWE
6	2018	All features of Gen 5, plus: Integrated cable routing in lower receiver Data integration with commercial cloud Rail Operating System Low-power enabler processing w/RTOS 10 Mbps comms w/Ethernet packet structure

NATO Standard

In 2012, after an extensive technical evaluation and rigorous hardware testing, the NATO Powered Rail working group selected the Intelligent Rail® as the NATO standard (STANAG) for the “Powered” Rail. The Powered Rail STANAG 4740/AEP-90, was ratified in December 2015 and promulgated to the member countries by the NATO Standards Office in June 2016. T-Worx’s Intelligent Rail complies with the NATO Powered Rail Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4740 (AEP-90).

Picatinny Smart Rail Modernization (NGSW and NGSW-Fire Control)

Our patented I-Rail® technology is the only platform to meet Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) Picatinny Smart Rail modernization requirements specified by the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) program. The NGSW program requires that the current “Picatinny Rail” be updated to enable the addition of power, networking, and data capabilities. This new “Smart Rail” enables unrelated sensors and accessories to be powered by and networked on the I-Rail®. With this procurement, the U.S. Army will be the first armed force to carry “Smart” small arms in the field that creates an intelligently-connected battleground.

T-Worx’s Intelligent Rail complies with the NATO Powered Rail Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4740 (AEP-90).

In August 2019, the US Army selected the following three (3) companies to participate in the Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) Competition:

In April 2020, the US Army selected the following two (2) companies to participate in the Next Generation Squad Weapons Fire Control (NGSW-FC) Competition:

Registered Trademarks

Powered Rail®, P-Rail®, Intelligent Rail®, and I-Rail® are registered trademarks of T-Worx Holdings, LLC.