18 february 2009
UNITED STATES - The Boeing Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM ER) weapon system scored a direct hit against a remote-controlled, land-based moving target Jan. 15 in a flight test conducted at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif. “SLAM ER has demonstrated its effectiveness against stationary targets, moving surface-ship targets and, now, land-based moving targets,” said Jan Browne, director of Stand-off Strike Weapons for Boeing.
The test concluded a successful, four-part series of developmental/operational flight tests funded by the U.S. Navy Rapid Technology Transfer program. Previous test flights included engagement with remote-controlled mobile targets in 2006 and an operational test launch earlier in January.
For the Jan. 15 test, an aircraft equipped with the Navy Littoral Surveillance Radar System sent real-time targeting data to a Boeing F/A-18F aircraft, which relayed the data to the SLAM ER after the weapon launched from a second F/A-18F aircraft. The SLAM ER acquired and impacted a simulated mobile target traveling at approximately 12 miles per hour in a cluttered desert environment.
The test was designed to validate the radar system’s ability to provide targeting information to the SLAM ER weapon, as well as SLAM ER’s ability to acquire and impact the target with varied target speeds and background environments. This capability is now awaiting customer approval to become operational.
SLAM ER is an adaptable day/night, adverse-weather, over-the-horizon precision strike missile capable of hitting stationary or moving targets on land or at sea. SLAM ER is recognized by the U.S. Navy as the most accurate weapon in its inventory.
A long-range, network-enabled strike option for preplanned and Target of Opportunity attack missions, SLAM ER can be employed in different operating modes against a wide variety of targets.
Against moving targets:
*Missile accepts midcourse target updates.
*Automatically computes target velocity and keeps the target within the
missile seeker field of view.
*Pilot uses standard commands to select a precise impact point on the
moving target.
Against fixed targets, SLAM ER:
*Can be launched as either an autonomous "fire and forget" weapon or as
a "man-in-the-loop" weapon.
*Can be aborted or redirected after launch; pilot selects and refines the
precise impact point after launch with a screen curser.
*Designates the target through real-time digital pattern matching: Pilot can
then allow the missile to reach the original aimpoint or can make
refinements to the final impact point.
In autonomous mode:
*Hits targets with near-precision accuracy using Global Positioning System
updates alone.
*Optional target imagery further enhances autonomous accuracy.
The SLAM ER 500-pound-class warhead and ultra-high accuracy provide maximal effectiveness with minimal ancillary damage. After performing battle damage assessment on the first target, pilots can redirect the missile to a second target miles away, multiplying the value of a single weapon. Mission planning for SLAM ER can be performed in the field in less than 30 minutes.
Length:172 inches (436.9 cm)
Diameter:13.5 inches (34.3 cm)
Wing Span:85.9 inches (218.2 cm)
Weight:1,400 pounds (635 kg)
Range:In excess of 150 nautical miles (278 km)
Propulsion:AirBreathing Turbojet Engine
Navigation: Global Positioning System
Data Link: Advanced Weapon Data Link
Guidance: Ring Laser Gyro
Seeker: Imaging InfraRed Seeker
Automatic Target Acquisition image matching system
UNITED STATES - The Boeing Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM ER) weapon system scored a direct hit against a remote-controlled, land-based moving target Jan. 15 in a flight test conducted at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif. “SLAM ER has demonstrated its effectiveness against stationary targets, moving surface-ship targets and, now, land-based moving targets,” said Jan Browne, director of Stand-off Strike Weapons for Boeing.
The test concluded a successful, four-part series of developmental/operational flight tests funded by the U.S. Navy Rapid Technology Transfer program. Previous test flights included engagement with remote-controlled mobile targets in 2006 and an operational test launch earlier in January.
For the Jan. 15 test, an aircraft equipped with the Navy Littoral Surveillance Radar System sent real-time targeting data to a Boeing F/A-18F aircraft, which relayed the data to the SLAM ER after the weapon launched from a second F/A-18F aircraft. The SLAM ER acquired and impacted a simulated mobile target traveling at approximately 12 miles per hour in a cluttered desert environment.
The test was designed to validate the radar system’s ability to provide targeting information to the SLAM ER weapon, as well as SLAM ER’s ability to acquire and impact the target with varied target speeds and background environments. This capability is now awaiting customer approval to become operational.
SLAM ER is an adaptable day/night, adverse-weather, over-the-horizon precision strike missile capable of hitting stationary or moving targets on land or at sea. SLAM ER is recognized by the U.S. Navy as the most accurate weapon in its inventory.
A long-range, network-enabled strike option for preplanned and Target of Opportunity attack missions, SLAM ER can be employed in different operating modes against a wide variety of targets.
Against moving targets:
*Missile accepts midcourse target updates.
*Automatically computes target velocity and keeps the target within the
missile seeker field of view.
*Pilot uses standard commands to select a precise impact point on the
moving target.
Against fixed targets, SLAM ER:
*Can be launched as either an autonomous "fire and forget" weapon or as
a "man-in-the-loop" weapon.
*Can be aborted or redirected after launch; pilot selects and refines the
precise impact point after launch with a screen curser.
*Designates the target through real-time digital pattern matching: Pilot can
then allow the missile to reach the original aimpoint or can make
refinements to the final impact point.
In autonomous mode:
*Hits targets with near-precision accuracy using Global Positioning System
updates alone.
*Optional target imagery further enhances autonomous accuracy.
The SLAM ER 500-pound-class warhead and ultra-high accuracy provide maximal effectiveness with minimal ancillary damage. After performing battle damage assessment on the first target, pilots can redirect the missile to a second target miles away, multiplying the value of a single weapon. Mission planning for SLAM ER can be performed in the field in less than 30 minutes.
Length:172 inches (436.9 cm)
Diameter:13.5 inches (34.3 cm)
Wing Span:85.9 inches (218.2 cm)
Weight:1,400 pounds (635 kg)
Range:In excess of 150 nautical miles (278 km)
Propulsion:AirBreathing Turbojet Engine
Navigation: Global Positioning System
Data Link: Advanced Weapon Data Link
Guidance: Ring Laser Gyro
Seeker: Imaging InfraRed Seeker
Automatic Target Acquisition image matching system
