Harpoons for U.S., foreign navies

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ST. LOUIS, July 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has contracted Boeing to produce 90 Harpoon missiles for itself and four foreign militaries.

The contract from the Naval Air Systems Command includes associated hardware, and exercise and test variants of the Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response, which is a Harpoon derivative.

"After four decades of cooperation with our Navy partners, Boeing continues to find innovative ways to incorporate system upgrades to enhance Harpoon's reach and interoperability," said Debbie Rub, vice president and general manager for Boeing Missiles and Unmanned Airborne Systems.

"This contract allows us to further partner with the Navy to enhance the capabilities of Harpoon and SLAM ER to quickly and affordably meet the evolving needs of warfighters around the globe."

Harpoon Block II missiles have autonomous over-the-horizon capability and can be used against seaborne as well as land targets.

SLAM ER is an air-dropped, man-in-the-loop cruise missile that is reprogrammable in flight.

Boeing said two related weapons contracts from the Navy were received in May. One contract was for Harpoon and SLAM ER weapons system components for the United States and for foreign military sales deals for 12 countries. The other was for Advanced Harpoon Weapons Control software integration for an international customer.

The first delivery of missiles is expected next month.