Ticonderoga differed from earlier US ships that experimented with phased-array radar. Long Beach and other predecessors could test or receive arrays that were later removed, while the Ticonderoga class was built around the large Aegis installation. SPY-1 and the rest of Aegis drove the new superstructure on the Spruance-derived hull, so the radar arrangement was integral to the design. Without that system, the class probably would have been cancelled. The result combines a Spruance hull family with a combat-system-centered redesign.
Notable Point · 13:39-14:16
Ticonderoga was designed around Aegis phased arrays
Ticonderoga retained a Spruance-derived hull, but its superstructure and overall design integrated SPY-1 and Aegis from the outset.