#45: Ticonderoga-class: The Cruiser That Gave the Navy Aegis
The Ticonderoga-class cruisers introduced the Aegis Combat System to the fleet in 1983, a revolution in defense technology that could simultaneously track over 200 targets and guide missiles to intercept dozens of them at once. Before Aegis, a surface warship could realistically engage only a handful of threats at a time. After Aegis, the calculus of naval warfare changed forever.
Armed with 122 vertical launch cells carrying a mix of Tomahawk cruise missiles, Standard surface-to-air missiles, and ASROC anti-submarine rockets, the 27 Ticonderoga-class cruisers became the backbone of every carrier strike group. They have fired Tomahawks in anger during Operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and strikes in Syria. Their SPY-1 radar remains one of the most capable naval radar systems ever deployed, and they continue serving today despite being slated for eventual replacement.
