CGN-42 was intended as the first nuclear-powered Aegis cruiser but was cancelled in 1983. Years of waiting for Aegis, changing requirements, and the difficulty of fitting the system into a Virginia-derived hull pushed the design toward the much larger strike-cruiser concept. The Nunn-McCurdy framework demanded proof that an over-budget program was essential to national security and lacked a cheaper suitable alternative. Existing nuclear cruisers and newly redesignated Ticonderoga cruisers made that proof especially difficult, even though later operations would demonstrate the mobility benefit.
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CGN-42 failed the emerging acquisition test
The planned nuclear Aegis cruiser combined a delayed program, an undersized Virginia-derived hull, cost growth, and a cheaper Ticonderoga alternative.