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CQM-121A / CGM-121B

Boeing · UAV · United States · Cold War (1970–1991)

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The Boeing CQM-121 Pave Tiger was an American expendable anti-radar drone built by Boeing for the USAF between 1981 and 1986. Designed to suppress and destroy enemy radar emitters at low unit cost, the programme was cancelled in October 1986 before reaching service. About 14 airframes were completed for flight testing, and none saw combat use.

The CQM-121A was a small jet-powered drone measuring 4.6 m in length with a 2.6 m wingspan and weighing 145 kg. A single Williams International turbofan pushed it to 700 km/h, with a range of 280 km and roughly two hours of endurance. The warhead was designed to home onto radar emissions and detonate against ground antennas. Drones were stored vertically in a truck-mounted rotary canister holding 12–15 rounds, fired one at a time. In concept the CQM-121 was an early loitering munition — small, expendable, and intended to be launched in swarms to deplete enemy air defences cheaply.

The USAF cancelled Pave Tiger for three reasons. First, the small warhead and short loiter time were marginal for suppressing dense air defences. Second, the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile, which entered service in 1985, offered better performance at a similar cost. Third, Boeing's projected unit price climbed from $90,000 to over $250,000 per drone. The cancellation set the pattern for three decades of US loitering-munition false starts before the AeroVironment Switchblade and IAI Harop finally proved the concept around 2015. Today the CQM-121 is studied as a sound, cost-effective design undercut by a competing weapon and shifting Pentagon budget priorities.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Boeing CQM-121 Pave Tiger was an American drone made in the 1980s. Boeing built it for the United States Air Force. It was a small, unmanned jet that flew on its own with no pilot inside.

The Pave Tiger was designed to find and destroy enemy radar systems. Radar systems help armies spot aircraft in the sky. By taking out radar, the drone helped protect friendly planes from being seen.

The drone was smaller than a school bus. It was about as long as a small car and weighed around 145 kilograms. A tiny jet engine pushed it to speeds of up to 700 kilometres per hour. It could fly for about two hours and travel up to 280 kilometres.

Up to 15 drones could be stored in a big spinning launcher on a truck. The launcher fired them one at a time. Only about 14 Pave Tigers were ever built for testing, and none were used in real service.

The programme was cancelled in 1986. A missile called the AGM-88 HARM could do the same job better. Even so, the Pave Tiger was an early idea for what we now call loitering munitions — small, low-cost drones that can search and strike on their own.

Fun Facts

The Pave Tiger was smaller than a school bus — it was about the length of a small car!
It could fly at 700 kilometres per hour, faster than most propeller planes.
A spinning truck launcher could hold up to 15 Pave Tiger drones at once.
The drone had no pilot — it flew all by itself using special sensors.
It could stay in the air for about two hours while searching for radar systems.
Only around 14 Pave Tigers were ever built, and none went into real service.
The project was cancelled in October 1986 before any drone flew in a real mission.
The Pave Tiger is seen as an early ancestor of today's modern loitering drones.

Kids’ Questions

What did the Pave Tiger drone do?

The Pave Tiger was built to find and destroy enemy radar systems. It homed in on radar signals and then crashed into the radar to destroy it. This helped protect friendly aircraft from being spotted.

How was the Pave Tiger launched?

The drones were stored upright in a big rotating canister on the back of a truck. The launcher could hold up to 15 drones at once. It spun around and fired each drone one at a time.

Why was the Pave Tiger cancelled?

The programme was cancelled in 1986 because a missile called the AGM-88 HARM could do the job better. The Pave Tiger's explosive charge was small and its search time was limited. The Air Force chose the more capable missile instead.

Why is the Pave Tiger important today?

The Pave Tiger was one of the first drones designed to swarm and strike in large numbers at low cost. This idea is now used in modern loitering drones around the world. So the Pave Tiger helped shape the future of drone design.

Variants

CQM-121A (cancelled): Air-to-air radar-emitter targeting variant.
CGM-121B (cancelled): Ground-launched variant. Never produced.

Notable Operators

USAF (cancelled 1986): Programme cancelled before service entry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Pave Tiger ahead of its time?

Yes. The Pave Tiger concept — an expendable, radar-homing drone launched in salvos from a ground vehicle — predated widespread loitering-munition adoption by about 25 years. Today's systems (AeroVironment Switchblade 300 and 600, IAI Harop and Harpy, the Iranian Shahed-136) implement essentially the same idea with modern guidance, lighter electronics, and lower production costs. The 1986 cancellation reflected an era that preferred higher-end weapons such as HARM and AGM-130, and a threat picture without the dense air-defence networks that now justify mass loitering munitions. Russian and Iranian use of Shahed-class drones from 2022, alongside Ukrainian, Turkish, and Israeli loitering-munition deployments from 2018 onward, has vindicated the Pave Tiger premise: cheap, autonomous, and many.

Sources

Wikipedia — Boeing CQM-121 Pave Tiger