Radars shape modern warship architecture

Fixed-panel phased-array radars need height to extend their horizon around the Earth's curvature. Hobart-class destroyers use elevated mast structures above the bridge, following the Spanish F100 design. Radar location and coverage then constrain where other equipment can go. Ticonderoga-class cruisers provide an earlier comparison with later panel arrangements set at 45 degrees to the ship's centreline. Those angled arrangements provide supporting coverage and depend on systems that can operate without interfering with one another.