The Navy built two classes of warships around the Aegis combat system, beginning with the Ticonderogaclass of cruisers in the 1980s and then the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers in the 1990s.
The military thinking behind a cruiser such as the Ticonderogaclass is to create an offensive warship that will also provide defensive firepower for a carrier group or amphibious operation under air or sea attack.