Ticonderoga-class Cruiser

The U.S. Navy's Aegis guided-missile cruiser class, the first surface combatants built around the Aegis Combat System. Serves as the fleet's premier air-defense commander platform, being gradually retired without direct replacement.

In service since 1983 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

9,800

32.5

6,000

nmi

122

VLS

330

crew

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

US ITAR-controlled

Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.

Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 1983. Status: legacy · ~27 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

Mk 41 VLS-class

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 2x 5-inch Mk 45 naval guns
VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.: 122

Top 3% of warships

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 172.8 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes — the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.: 9,800 t
Full-load displacement Displacement fully loaded with fuel, stores and munitions.: 9,800 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.: 32.5 kn

Top 5% of warships
Range Cruising range in nautical miles. Nuclear vessels are effectively unlimited (fuel-wise). Higher means more reach without replenishment.: 6,000 nmi

Stronger than 50% of warships
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.: 330
Propulsion plant Machinery type — nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: 4x General Electric LM2500 gas turbine (COGAG)

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: AN/SPY-1A Aegis phased array radar

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 27

Top 4% of warships
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 45% of warships

Specifications compiled from public Huntington Ingalls Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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