The U.S. Navy's Standoff Land Attack Missile - Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) program continues to sharpen the fleet's skills during a recent exercise at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Weapons Division Land Test Range in California.

The fleet training mission required an F/A-18 aircraft and crew from Carrier Air Wing Seven to launch the missile more than 80 miles from the target. After launch from an F/A-18 C, the missile was controlled to a direct hit by second aircraft, also an F/A-18C. The target for this training exercise was a simulated surface-to-air-missile radar, located atop an 8,000 foot mountain peak on the NAVAIR test range.

To ensure the accuracy of the strike, the pilot utilized the missile's Stop Motion Aimpoint Update (SMAU) capability. SMAU allows the pilot to momentarily "freeze" the target video image on his display screen and then operate an aimpoint cursor on a steady display to select the target impact point. When the display is "unfrozen" and video motion resumes, the seeker is pointed toward the updated aimpoint. This significantly improves the pilot's ability to select and update target aimpoints up to the final 0.5 nautical miles of missile flight.

This firing exercise was the culmination of training provided by both the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, in Nevada, and the SLAM-ER fleet interface team.

The SLAM-ER program is managed by the Program Executive Office for Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation (PEO (W)). To learn more about PEO (W), log on to the website at www.strikenet.js.mil