Boeing AGM-84K SLAM-ER

History

The Boeing AGM-84K Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response, or SLAM-ER, is a U.S. air-launched cruise missile designed for long-range precision attacks against land and maritime targets. The U.S. Navy describes it as a day/night, adverse-weather, over-the-horizon weapon for both pre-planned missions and targets of opportunity.

SLAM-ER evolved from the AGM-84E SLAM, which was itself derived from the Harpoon anti-ship missile family. The expanded-response version combined greater range and improved aerodynamic performance with GPS-aided navigation, imaging-infrared terminal guidance, a two-way data link and a penetrating warhead.

The AGM-84K reached initial operational capability in June 2000. Official U.S. Navy and NAVAIR information identifies Boeing as the contractor and describes SLAM-ER as a precision Standoff Outside of Area Defense weapon intended to let launch aircraft attack important targets without entering the most heavily defended area.

Development

The SLAM family originated from the Harpoon missile. According to the U.S. Navy fact file, the original SLAM was developed rapidly to meet emerging operational requirements and was used by F/A-18 and A-6 crews during Operation Desert Storm. The success of that weapon encouraged development of a version with greater range, accuracy, penetration capability, terminal dive-angle flexibility and improved mission planning.

The Navy formally advanced the SLAM-ER program in December 1994, when engineering and manufacturing development and accelerated production were authorized. A secondary historical account records a live firing of a SLAM-ER from an F/A-18 against the decommissioned cruiser USS Dale in 1999. The weapon achieved initial operational capability in June 2000, the deployment date given by both the Navy and NAVAIR.

The improved missile introduced Automatic Target Acquisition. The Navy describes SLAM-ER as the first weapon to incorporate this capability, which was intended to improve target acquisition in cluttered scenes, resist many infrared countermeasures and reduce the effects of degraded environmental conditions.

Service development

Secondary historical reporting states that SLAM-ER was used during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and that three missiles were fired by the U.S. Navy during the Iraq War. These combat-use details are reported in the available secondary history but are not detailed in the supplied Navy and NAVAIR excerpts.

In September 2026, U.S. Navy imagery from USS George Washington showed an F/A-18E carrying two large weapons that were assessed by Army Recognition as probable AGM-84K SLAM-ER-family missiles. The Navy did not officially identify the weapons, and the imagery did not establish the exact AGM-84K subconfiguration or confirm subsequent missile employment. The observation therefore supports only a probable family-level identification, not confirmation that the aircraft conducted a SLAM-ER strike.

Design

SLAM-ER retains the general lineage of the Harpoon family but is optimized as an air-launched precision strike weapon. The missile is approximately 4.4 m long, has a diameter of 34.3 cm and a wingspan of about 2.2 m. Launch weight is approximately 674.5 kg.

Propulsion and flight performance

The missile is powered by a Teledyne turbojet producing more than 600 pounds of thrust. Official U.S. Navy information describes its speed as high subsonic and its range as more than 135 nautical miles, or approximately 250 km. A separate open-source database gives a range of about 270 km, but the official Navy figure is the more authoritative value and is therefore used for the specification section.

Improved aerodynamic performance allows SLAM-ER to fly long-range profiles and to approach targets using flexible terminal attack geometry. This permits mission planners to select an attack direction that is more suitable for the target and surrounding defenses than a simple direct approach.

Guidance and control

Mid-course navigation uses a ring-laser-gyro inertial navigation system combined with multi-channel GPS. Terminal guidance is provided by an imaging-infrared seeker. The missile also incorporates a two-way data link for man-in-the-loop control, allowing an operator to refine the terminal aimpoint.

The Navy associates this control function with the AWW-13 Advanced Data Link pod. Upgraded missiles incorporate Automatic Target Acquisition, which assists target recognition and acquisition during the terminal phase. The combination of GPS-aided navigation, infrared imagery and operator intervention gives SLAM-ER the ability to attack a selected point on a land or maritime target rather than merely reaching a general target area.

Warhead

The AGM-84K carries a 500 lb, approximately 227 kg, Tomahawk-derived titanium ordnance section. Official Navy and NAVAIR descriptions emphasize its penetrating power and lethality. This official figure differs from the substantially heavier warhead value published by GlobalMilitary.net; the U.S. Navy specification is used here because it is the primary-source value.

Aircraft integration

NAVAIR states that SLAM-ER can be launched and controlled by F/A-18C/D/E/F aircraft and P-3 platforms. The U.S. Navy fact file also identifies the S-3 as a launch-and-control platform and states that the F/A-18E/F can control the missile. Secondary reporting also describes integration with additional export aircraft, but those claims are not used here as primary platform specifications.

Operational history

The AGM-84K has been in U.S. Navy service since June 2000. Its principal operational purpose is precision engagement of land and maneuvering maritime targets from standoff distance. The Navy classifies it as a Standoff Outside of Area Defense weapon rather than an anti-radiation missile.

Available secondary histories report SLAM-ER combat use in Afghanistan and during the Iraq War. More recent reporting has also associated SLAM-ER-family weapons with Middle Eastern operations. In September 2026, an F/A-18E aboard USS George Washington was photographed with two stores that closely resembled SLAM-ER missiles. The identification was not officially confirmed, and no evidence in the supplied material demonstrates that the weapons were launched.

The apparent twin-missile carriage nevertheless illustrates the type of standoff load that can be integrated with the F/A-18E. Such a configuration would allow a carrier-based aircraft to carry more than one long-range precision weapon, although the specific mission, target set and complete weapons load of the aircraft shown in the 2026 imagery remain unknown.

Specifications (AGM-84K SLAM-ER)

General characteristics

• Primary function: Long-range air-launched precision land and sea attack cruise missile
• Contractor: The Boeing Company
• Initial operational capability: June 2000
• Length: 4.4 m (172 in)
• Diameter: 34.3 cm (13.5 in)
• Wingspan: 2.2 m (7.2 ft)
• Weight: 674.5 kg (1,488 lb)
• Propulsion: Teledyne turbojet

Performance

• Speed: High subsonic
• Range: More than 250 km (135 nmi)

Guidance and armament

• Guidance: Ring-laser-gyro inertial navigation system with multi-channel GPS
• Terminal guidance: Imaging-infrared seeker
• Control: Two-way data link with man-in-the-loop control; upgraded missiles incorporate Automatic Target Acquisition
• Warhead: Approximately 227 kg (500 lb) Tomahawk-derived titanium ordnance section

Related equipment

• AGM-84 Harpoon: Anti-ship missile family from which the SLAM lineage was derived.
• AGM-84E SLAM: Earlier Standoff Land Attack Missile developed from Harpoon and subsequently evolved into SLAM-ER.