USS Princeton premiered on October 2, 1987 and commissioned on February 11, 1989. She had been the Navy's very first cruiser designed with the AN/SPY-1B radar system, which offered a substantial improvement within the detection abilities of AEGIS Weapons System. This radar system incorporates significant improvements over earlier AN/SPY-1A radars, especially in its opposition to enemy Electronic Countermeasures (ECM). Because of the SPY-1B radar and the ship's MK 99 Fire Control System, the ship can guide its Standard Missile to intercept aggressive aircraft and missiles at extensive rang.