(USN and Boeing Images)

AGM-84H SLAM-ER Specifications

Length	172 in (436.9cm)
Diameter	13.5 in (34.3cm)
Wing Span	85.8 in (218.2cm)
Launch Weight	1,464 lb
Cruise Speed	High Subsonic
Operational Range	100+ nm (180+ km)
Warhead	488 lb Titanium-encased high-explosive

The AGM-84H SLAM-ER (Standoff Land-Attack Missile, Expanded Response) is a development of the current AGM-84E SLAM which is in use today with several air and sea-based platforms of the US Navy. The original SLAM was a land-attack development of the highly-successful AGM-84 Harpoon antiship missile. The SLAM-ER originated in the early and mid-1990's, with the USN giving the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract to McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) in March 1995. The first flight of the missile took place on 18 March 1997. The flight invovled the launch of a SLAM-ER from an F/A-18C Hornet, and the missile met all the goals for that initial first flight, i.e., deployment of its wings, engine start-up, satellite acquisition, etc. A total of 13 flights will comprise the flight test program, and 8 flights have already taken place. The SLAM-ER was approved by the Navy for initial low-rate production in April 1997. In May 1998 the SLAM achieved a major milestone by successully hitting a moving target. The missile travelled more than 40 miles before hitting a moving ship off the coast of California. Currently, the USN has ordered 135 SLAM-ERs, and Boeing will also upgrade all of the Navy's current 600+ AGM-84Es to SLAM-ER standard between FY1997 and FY2001.

Externally, the most notable improvement between the SLAM and the SLAM-ER is that the SLAM-ER incorporates a pair of deployable wings which increase the range of the missile, and improve performance compared to the baseline AGM-84E. The warhead is encased in titanium to increase penetration of hardened or buried targets. The AGM-84H incorporates a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver which will enable extreme navigational precision by updating the missile's onboard INS (Inertial Navigation System) while in-flight. At the nose of the missile is the Imaging Infrared (I2R) seeker, which will identify targets during flight. A planned improvement to be incorporated into all SLAM-ERs is the Advanced Target Acquisition (ATA) capability, which is currently being developed. An ATA-equipped SLAM-ER will take the images it sees with the I2R sensor during the terminal (last 5 miles or so) phase of flight, and compare them with the images of the target stored in the missile's onboard computer. This will be useful for targeting environments which are cluttered and confusing, such as an urban environment.

Another reason the SLAM-ER will be a force to be reckoned with is its "man-in-the-loop" features. The SLAM-ER is equipped with a secure datalink to its launch aircraft, and the pilot sees the image being picked up by the SLAM-ER's infrared sensor. If he chooses to do so, the pilot can freeze the image he gets in the cockpit, then select a specific aimpoint on the target, instructing the missile to impact there. This is helpful when the target has a critical aimpoint, but there is no distinguishing IR signature to go with it. It also enables the pilot to designate new targets of opportunity while in-flight, such as mobile missile launchers. Another interesting SLAM-ER feature is that it shares a 70% software commonality with the JSOW (Joint-Standoff Weapon) and the JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition)

Pilot reaction to the SLAM-ER has been overwhelmingly positive. USN Lt. Cdr. Wade Knudson, F-18 pilot, describes the SLAM-ER as "...a significant improvement over SLAM -- it's a totally different weapon in terms of capabilities." Knudson also describes the SLAM-ER mission planning: "Mission planning for the SLAM-ER has improved over baseline SLAM. We still have the concept of the SLAM smart checklist, but it's vastly improved over the old days of spending hours using templates and charts. Now the system is faster, easier and more accurate." USN Lt. Burr describes the the man-in-the-loop feature of the SLAM-ER as "Perhaps the most significant improvement in SLAM-ER over SLAM..."