Editing AGM-53 Condor (section)

==Development history==
Because of numerous problems in the development phase, the first flight of an XAGM-53A missile did not occur before March 1970.

On 4 February 1971, in its first live warhead test, a Condor made a direct hit on the ex-US navy destroyer escort {{USS|Vammen|DE-644|6}}, while tests later that year demonstrated the ability to hit targets at a range of {{convert|56|km|nmi mi km|abbr=on|order=out}}.<ref>Pretty 1976, p. 149.</ref> The AGM-53 program was cancelled in March 1976. Its long range and potentially high precision made the Condor a very powerful weapon, but it was much more expensive than contemporary tactical air-to-ground weapons. The secure data link contributed a significant portion to total missile cost, and it certainly didn't help that this link was still somewhat unreliable.