The Ticonderoga class of guided-missile cruisers is a class of warships in the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in the 1978 fiscal year. The class uses passive phased-array radar and was originally planned as a class of destroyers. However, the increased combat capability offered by the Aegis Combat System and the AN/SPY-1 radar system, together with the capability of operating as a flagship, were used to justify the change of the classification from DDG (guided-missile destroyer) to CG (guided-missile cruiser) shortly before the keels were laid down for and . Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers are multi-role warships. Their Mk 41 VLS can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike strategic or tactical targets, or fire long-range anti-aircraft SM-2MR/ERs for defense against aircraft or anti-ship missiles. Their LAMPS III helicopters, RUM-139 ASROCs, and sonar systems allow them to perform anti-submarine missions. Ticonderoga-class ships are designed to be elements of carrier battle groups or amphibious ready groups, as well as perform missions such as interdiction or escort. With upgrades to their AN/SPY-1 phased radar systems and their associated missile payloads as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, members of this class have, in successive tests, repeatedly demonstrated their proficiency as mobile anti-ballistic missile and anti-satellite weaponry platforms. Of the 27 completed vessels, 19 were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding and eight by Bath Iron Works (BIW). All but one () of the ships in the class are named for noteworthy events in U.S. military history, and at least twelve share their names with World War II-era aircraft carriers. As of October 2022, 17 ships remain active. Due to the high cost of maintenance and age, the entire class is being progressively retired by Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers in the immediate term. As of 2022, the last cruiser vessels are scheduled for decommissioning in 2027 after which there is no firepower equivalent with 122-cell VLS until the DD(X) destroyers are expected to enter commission in the 2030s with 128-cell VLS, but without the flagship facilities of the canceled CG(X) program. History The Ticonderoga class was originally ordered as guided missile destroyers, with the designation DDG-47. These ships were intended to be lower-cost platforms for the new Aegis combat system by mounting the system on a hull based on that of the . They would complement the much larger and more capable Strike Cruiser (CSGN) design. With the cancelation of the Strike