Ticonderoga-class cruiser

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The Ticonderoga class of guided-missile cruisers is a class of warships of the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in the 1978 fiscal year. It was originally planned as a class of destroyers, but the increased combat capability offered by the Aegis Combat System and the passive phased-array AN/SPY-1 radar, together with the capability of operating as a flagship, were used to justify the change of the classification from DDG (guided-missile destroyer) to CG (guided-missile cruiser) shortly before the keels were laid down for Ticonderoga and Yorktown. Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers are multirole warships. Their Mk 41 VLS can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike land targets or antiaircraft SM-2MR/ERs for defense against aircraft or antiship missiles. Their LAMPS III helicopters, RUM-139 ASROCs, and sonar systems allow them to perform antisubmarine missions. Ticonderoga-class ships are designed to be elements of carrier strike groups or amphibious ready groups, as...

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