Missile AGM-84 SLAM-ER
Summary
| Category | Cruise Missile |
| Sub-type | Air launched cruise missile |
| Origin country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Manufacturer | Boeing / McDonnell Douglas |
Technical specifications
| AGM-84 SLAM-ER | |
|---|---|
| Warhead | High Explosive |
| Warhead Weight | 360 kg |
| Diameter | 343 mm (13.5 in) |
| Length | 4370 mm (172.0 in) |
| Weight | 674 kg (1486 lb) |
| Range | 270 km (168 mi) |
| Max Speed | Mach 0.7 |
Description
The AGM-84 Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) is an American-made, air-launched cruise missile developed by Boeing. It is an advanced variant of the Harpoon anti-ship missile and is primarily designed for precision strikes against land and sea targets. It has been in service with the United States Navy and other allied forces since the late 1990s.
SLAM-ER employs a unique combination of guidance systems for high precision. For mid-course navigation, it uses an inertial navigation system (INS) coupled with GPS. Terminal guidance is provided by an imaging infrared seeker and a man-in-the-loop data link that enables remote control by an operator in the launch aircraft or another control station. This allows for course corrections, retargeting, or mission abort even after the missile is launched.
The missile uses a turbojet engine for propulsion, allowing it to fly at subsonic speeds over extended ranges. The SLAM-ER has a significantly longer range compared to its predecessor, the SLAM, and can engage targets up to 270 kilometers away from its launch point. This enables the launch aircraft to operate at safer distances from enemy air defenses.
The warhead of the SLAM-ER is a 500-pound blast-fragmentation warhead, designed to be effective against a wide variety of targets, including hardened bunkers, naval vessels, and other fortified structures.
Despite its capabilities, the complexity of the guidance systems and the need for man-in-the-loop control make it a more specialized weapon that requires well-trained operators. Additionally, the missile's cost is relatively high ($500,000), which can limit the scale of its deployment.