Boeing contracted for Harpoon, SLAM-ER spares

Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Boeing received a $12.3 million contract from the U.S. Navy to produce Harpoon and Stand-Off Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response missile spares.

The spares are being procured for the U.S. Foreign Military Sales Program. Governments receiving them include Australia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Turkey, India, Thailand and Taiwan.

The U.S. Department of Defense says the work will be performed in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and several other locations, and is expected to be completed by December 2018.

The contract combines the purchases of the Navy and the aforementioned foreign governments. The Naval Air Systems Command is listed as the contracting activity.

The Harpoon is an all-weather anti-ship missile system initially developed by McDonnell Douglas. The system uses active radar homing to track down targets, and can be integrated with fixed-wing aircraft, surface ships and submarines.

The Stand-Off Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response, or SLAM-ER, is a precision-guided cruise missile also used for engagements in maritime environments. The weapon uses a combination of infrared imaging and GPS technology to track down moving and stationary targets.