The US Navy is set to decommission five of its Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers following the passage of the government’s 2022 defense appropriations bill.
The bill would allow the navy to decommission five of seven vessels requested as part of the country’s budget request, possibly by September. However, the service has not specified which five cruisers it will retire.
The navy built 27 Ticonderoga-class vessels between 1980 and 1994, 21 of which remain in service.
“The Navy is moving forward with the formal process outlined in the FY22 NDAA to approve the five Ticonderoga-class Cruiser hulls that will decommission in Fiscal Year 2022,” a US Navy statement said cited by USNI News.
“The Navy will share the specific hull numbers and plans for the decommissioning as the information is available for release,” it added.
About the Ticonderoga Class
Ticonderoga-class cruisers are designed to provide air defense to carrier strike groups. Later upgrades to the vessel enabled ballistic missile defense. The first of the class entered service in 1983.
The ships accompany amphibious ready groups and carrier battle groups, leveraging their powerful radar and anti-aircraft and anti-missile weaponry to provide protection.
The navy originally intended the cruisers to operate as destroyers. However, the vessels were repurposed due to the enhanced capabilities of the AEGIS combat system. With both offensive and defensive capabilities, the Ticonderogas became guided-missile cruisers.
Once decommissioned, the ships will be replaced by Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers.
