[LATER IN EARLY ACCESS] We need SLAM-ER

[Bunny Clark]

I'm assuming other than range, the SLAM-ER will offer more hands off approach with greater accuracy than the SLAM.

Sorta. It will have a better ING/GPS guidance system and a better datalink so the overall experience and accuracy should be better, but it is still designed with manual terminal guidance in mind. There is a follow-on upgrade to the ER called Automatic Target Acquisition, sometimes called SLAM-ATA or SLAM-ER(ATA), which uses image matching algorithms to provide autonomous IR terminal targeting. I don't believe that ED has specified if we're getting ATA capability or not, it was in production and available to the fleet in 2004 so it's within the correct time frame, but that's no guarantee.

[Harker]

Sorta. It will have a better ING/GPS guidance system and a better datalink so the overall experience and accuracy should be better, but it is still designed with manual terminal guidance in mind. There is a follow-on upgrade to the ER called Automatic Target Acquisition, sometimes called SLAM-ATA or SLAM-ER(ATA), which uses image matching algorithms to provide autonomous IR terminal targeting. I don't believe that ED has specified if we're getting ATA capability or not, it was in production and available to the fleet in 2004 so it's within the correct time frame, but that's no guarantee.

AFAIK the JSOW-C also has terminal IR guidance that uses stored images of the target, but we don't have that capability in DCS. It'd require an overhaul of the ME or Planner, so we can select actual units as targets.