$11.4M Boeing contract calls for SLAM-ER missile development for Saudi Arabia

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Boeing Co. received an $11.4 million contract for work on the Stand-Off Land Attack Missile for Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Navy announced.

The contract, announced on Tuesday, calls for Phase 1 design maturity, analysis and test planning for production of the AGM-84 SLAM-ER, a precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile.

The work, to be completed by October, comes at the request of Saudi Arabia under the Foreign Military Sales Act, and will be totally paid for by the Saudi government.

The missile uses GPS and infrared imaging to attack land and sea targets in medium and long range. Known for its accuracy, it can be launched from a number of aircraft, including the F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet, P-3C Orion and F-15E Strike Eagle.

The missile has been in use since 2000 by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

Although the SLAM-ER has been superseded by superior missiles, it was announced in a $64 million contract with Saudi Arabia in April 2018 that Boeing would redesign obsolete, nearly obsolete and uneconomical parts to support production and improve future sustainment of the missiles, essentially restarting its production program.

Another Boeing contract modification for the Saudi-bound missiles, of $30.1 million, was announced in April 2019.