Boeing

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] confirmed today the U.S. Navy, on behalf of the Republic of Korea Air Force, has finalized a $70 million foreign military sales order for Boeing Standoff Land Attack Missile -- Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles.

This is the tactical missile system's first sale outside the U.S.

"Field experience tells us that SLAM-ER is one of the most operationally effective missiles in the U.S. inventory," said John Lockard, Boeing senior vice president of Naval Systems. "We are pleased the Republic of Korea has selected our system, and that we can contribute to their air force's capabilities."

The Republic of Korea will deploy the SLAM-ER weapon system aboard its Boeing F-15K, the most capable multi-role fighter aircraft in the world. The procurement package includes missiles, logistics and training. The weapon, which Boeing produces for the U.S. Navy, utilizes Global Positioning System data and an infrared seeker with an advanced data link for precise attacks against targets on land or at sea from long ranges.

"SLAM-ER will give the Republic of Korea Air Force a highly accurate standoff land-attack weapon providing man-in-the-loop control for precise guidance to the desired aim point," said Mike Marks, Boeing vice president and general manager for U.S. Air Force Fighter and Bomber Programs, and Weapons Programs. "SLAM-ER also provides the flexibility for use in anti-ship missions, with visual feedback ensuring targets are properly and positively identified prior to engagement."

SLAM-ER achieved more than 90 percent success rate during development and operational flight tests. This includes all phases of development and integration on the F/A-18, P-3 and S-3.

Boeing has delivered more than 700 SLAM missiles and modified most of them into SLAM-ERs for the U.S. Navy. An affordable inventory upgrade, SLAM-ER incorporates a number of improvements to the baseline SLAM. These retrofit upgrades include planar wings to improve range and aerodynamic performance; an improved warhead to increase penetration and lethality against hardened targets; and software improvements making it easier for the control aircraft to select the precise hit-point on the target. The U.S. Navy took delivery of the first SLAM -- a derivative of the Harpoon anti-ship missile -- in 1988, and the first SLAM-ER in 1998. SLAM-ER achieved initial operating capability in the fleet in 2000.

Boeing has continued to evolve the weapon system. SLAM-ER recently demonstrated an important leap in capability -- the ability to redirect the missile in flight to pop-up targets miles from the original mission. As a result, SLAM-ER is one of the leading platforms in network-centric operation capability.

"Our substantial investment in this weapon is a solid example of achieving effects-based transformation with today's fielded platforms via network-centric operations," Lockard said. "As a result, this already highly capable weapon is becoming increasingly more so."