Anschütz has introduced a major enhancement to its SYNAPSIS integrated navigation platform for warships. A newly developed, defined data interface now connects SYNAPSIS to the Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplex System (GEDMS), the navigation information distribution network used aboard vessels equipped with the AEGIS Combat System. Developed within the Royal Australian Navy’s Warship Integrated Navigation and Bridge System (WINBS) programme for the Hunter-class frigates in 2025, this capability marks a significant step in the ongoing evolution of the SYNAPSIS architecture. SYNAPSIS integrates data from a wide range of navigation and mission sensors to support safe navigation and ship control. With the introduction of the new interface to GEDMS, SYNAPSIS can now exchange navigation data and receive sensor status information from AEGIS-approved sensors. This interface provides a robust pathway for distributing consistent, validated and reliable navigation information across ship systems, strengthening interoperability on AEGIS-related naval platforms.
To provide this capability, Anschütz developed a dedicated software module within SYNAPSIS that harmonises data formats and establishes defined bidirectional data exchange with the GEDMS. As part of this work, the SYNAPSIS Conning application has been enhanced to display the status and selection of AEGIS-approved navigation sensors directly on its system status page, supporting efficient ship control, faster operator awareness and clearer system monitoring. The introduction of the GEDMS interface further reinforces the modular, scalable architecture of SYNAPSIS. For future naval platforms, navies and shipyards benefit from a mature and pre‑validated engineering approach that significantly reduces technical and programme risk, simplifies integration with AEGIS-related systems and improves navigation-to-combat system data consistency across fleets. With the addition of the GEDMS interface, the SYNAPSIS WINBS continues to strengthen its position as a future-ready, interoperable navigation system engineered to meet the evolving requirements of modern naval operations.
The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system, which uses computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets. It was developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and it is now produced by Lockheed Martin. Initially used by the United States Navy, Aegis is now used also by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Spanish Navy, Royal Norwegian Navy, Republic of Korea Navy, and Royal Australian Navy, and is planned for use by the Royal Canadian Navy. As of 2022, a total of 110 Aegis-equipped ships have been deployed, and 71 more are planned. SYNAPSIS is Anschütz’s modular integrated navigation and bridge system and is in operation on major naval programmes, including the Hunter-class frigates, the German Navy’s F125 and K130 classes and the UK Royal Navy’s Type 26 and Type 31, along with a wide range of government and commercial vessels. More than 1,200 ships worldwide currently operate with integrated systems from Anschütz.
Anschütz GmbH, known as Raytheon Anschütz from 1995 to 2023, is a company that produces marine navigation systems and related instruments. It was originally formed as Anschütz & Company in 1905 in Kiel, Germany, in order to produce the first gyrocompass for large ships, which entered service in 1907. The company expanded to produce autopilots and new forms of compasses. The original company was broken up at the end of World War II. The company reformed in 1952, expanding their autopilot line and introducing computerized systems in the 1970s and full modular bridge systems in 1995. The same year, the company was purchased by Raytheon who purchased several other European nautical companies and began to centralize manufacturing at Anschütz’s Kiel factories. This included radar systems from Sweden’s Standard Radio. In 2023, German-based DMB Dr. Dieter Murmann Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH acquired Anschütz and the company was renamed to Anschütz GmbH. The company is a manufacturer and an integrator of navigation systems, bridge systems and mission systems for ships, including gyro compasses, steering gear control systems and autopilots, electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS), radars, and electronic logbooks.
