Cooperative engagement capability for the AGM-84E SLAM, AGM-84H SLAM-ER and Walleye II ERDL

[Northstar98]

Hi everyone,

Can we expect to see cocoperative engagement capability added for MITL weapons like the AGM-84E SLAM, AGM-84H SLAM-ER and the Mk 23 Walleye II?

There have been previous threads about this, but so far unanswered (see here, here and here).

I don't have any specific evidence of this capability (aside from it being done between A-6Es and A-7Es) on the Hornet, but cooperative usage of these weapons is a feature of them (and theoretically all it should involve is tuning into the right weapon channel - currently they're only assigned based on what station the weapon is on, but with the the new fusing GUI, it could be done through there).

https://designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-62.html:

Quote

The ERDL system equipped the Walleye with a two-way datalink, and the launch aircraft were equipped with an AN/AWW-9 (later AN/AWW-13) underwing data-link pod. The pilot could now launch the Walleye out of visual range of the target, turn away, watch the bomb's TV camera image, which was transmitted via the data-link, and lock-on to the target at any convenient moment. It was even possible to control the weapon from a different aircraft than that which launched the Walleye, and because of the limited number of data-link pods available, it was actually standard practice for one pod-equipped aircraft to guide Walleyes dropped by several attack aircraft (not simultaneously, though).

 

This functionality was stated to be coming to at least the Walleye II ERDL in a comment by Wags on this thread:

 

Unfortunatly, to my knowledge, there's been no update on this functionality since then. The SLAM and SLAM-ER are marked as completed on the roadmap, despite this functionality missing.

Edited June 14, 2024 by Northstar98
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