Boeing has installed the first Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplex System (GEDMS) on the USS Spruance (DDG 111), an Arleigh Burke-Class guided-missile destroyer designed to operate in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface environments. The GEDMS upgrade comes as part of the Navy’s ongoing modernization effort and is capable of serving as the network backbone to any ship in the U.S. Navy inventory.

Chris Devine, director of Information Dominance for Boeing subsidiary Argon ST, says "inclusion of GEDMS in the Navy’s DDG modernization program highlights the continued confidence the Navy has in our ability to provide innovative and advanced solutions to the fleet. Commissioning of the USS Spruance marks the successful completion of nearly two years of hard work and dedication by Argon in cooperation with the U.S. Navy.”

Its multimedia and next-generation capabilities are a quantum leap when compared to the first DMS system that Boeing delivered to the Navy for the USS Arleigh Burke in September of 1989. Improvements include stronger data transfer for the upgraded hull, mechanical, and electrical systems. The video and sensors of the GEDMS are also able to monitor remote or confined spaces, thereby reducing manpower requirements for the ship.

Henry Hubbard, the U.S. Navy GEDMS program manager says that the GEDMS “marks a significant milestone in providing a maintainable, highly reliable and survivable mission critical network that supports the new threats and enhanced missions that our destroyers must meet.”