U.S. aerospace giant secures $1,9 billion contract for SLAM-ER missiles for Saudi Arabia

U.S. aerospace giant Boeing Co. has secured a $1,9 billion Stand-off Land Attack Missile – Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) contract from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command for Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced a contract to provide non-recurring engineering associated with the SLAM-ER obsolescence redesign effort as well as the production and delivery of 650 SLAM-ER missiles in support of the government of Saudi Arabia.

In a statement Wednesday, the DoD said that work is expected to be complete by December 2028.

SLAM-ER, a derivative of Harpoon, is an air-dropped surgical strike weapon against high-value land targets or ships at sea or in port. A highly accurate man-in-the-loop cruise missile, SLAM-ER can be launched from a range of more than 150 nautical miles and is reprogrammable in flight, according to Boeing.

Boeing last delivered the SLAM-ER weapon system in 2008. In October 2019, Boeing began construction on a new 35,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility to support increased production for the Harpoon and SLAM-ER programs. Construction is expected to be complete in 2021.