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CONDOR was an attempt to develop a large missile with a 2,100-pound warhead using the television guidance and data link system developed for the WALLEYE glide weapon. CONDOR also included a rocket motor making it a true missile. Development of CONDOR was initiated in 1962 based on a requirement for and long-range, high-precision air-to-surface missile. China Lake initiated the development in partnership with North American/Rockwell. CONDOR had a television seeker that communicated with the launch aircraft over a two-way data link, with the seeker relaying its imagery back to a controller in the launch aircraft. The operator could select a target using the imagery, lock the seeker onto a high-contrast element, and then let it perform the terminal attack on its own. Numerous problems in the development phase delayed the first test launch until 1970.

The long range and potentially high precision made the CONDOR a very powerful weapon, but it was much more expensive than contemporary air-to-ground weapons.  The CONDOR was approved for production in July 1975, and the Navy expected to obtain 250 missiles beginning in 1976. However, the CONDOR program was canceled in March 1976, as the Navy felt it would no longer meet their requirements. Abandonment of the CONDOR led to a lengthy exercise in obtaining something better, which would ultimately result in the Navy SLAM cruise missile.