The US Department of Defense has approved low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) Standard Land Attack Missile- Expanded Response (SLAM ER) after the successful initial flight test on 18 March. It allows for production of 60 SLAM ERs using fiscal year 1997 funds. Overall, about 700 deployed SLAMs will be upgraded to the ER configuration, with increased range and improved lethality. The Pentagon is also buying 75 new SLAM ERs with FY96 funding. The LRIP II decision involves 24 units, but MDC hopes that the FY98 purchase will be increased beyond that level.
Source: Flight International