The early Ticonderogas used two Mark 26 twin-arm launchers and carried a combined load of Standard surface-to-air missiles and ASROC anti-submarine weapons. Beginning with CG-52, later ships received two 61-cell Mark 41 VLS banks, raising nominal capacity from 88 to 122 weapons. The VLS battery could accept Standard missiles, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and ASROC. The cell arrangement removed the need to position a missile on a trainable rail before launch. It gave the class both a larger magazine and a more flexible mix of strike and escort weapons.
Notable Point · 17:39-20:21
From Mark 26 rails to 122 VLS cells
The weapons comparison shows how ships from CG-52 onward exchanged twin-arm launchers for two 61-cell VLS banks and a broader missile mix.