The SLAM ER is designed to provide a surgical strike capability against high-value targets, day or night, in adverse weather and from safe standoff distances.

During the test, which included a series of complex maneuvers, SLAM ER achieved key test objectives -- wing deployment, engine ignition, satellite acquisition and verification of airframe performance.

Capt. Rob Freedman, the Navy's program manager for SLAM and Harpoon, witnessed the flight.

& "Our integrated program teams have been working toward this day for 2 1/2 years and have literally thousands of tests and simulations under their belt. As a result, we were very confident going into first flight. I couldn't have been more pleased with today's test," Freedman said.

The SLAM ER program remains on cost and on schedule to provide the U.S. Navy with an evolutionary, affordable upgrade to the combat-proven SLAM. SLAM ER provides a highly survivable, long-range missile that employs terrain following capability, Global Positioning System-aided inertial navigation, improved warhead penetration and provisions for automatic target acquisition.

"We've had a great three months beginning with the SLAM ER rollout and the Navy converting its 1996 SLAM production buy to SLAM ERs in December 1996," said Bob Krieger, McDonnell Douglas general manager of missile systems. "And in February of this year, SLAM ER performed perfectly in a functional ground test. Now we've had a great first flight. We are confidently looking ahead to a low rate initial production decision and the continuation of the flight test program."