Originally developed for the US Navy during the late 1960s, the AGM-78 was created in large part because of the limitations of the AGM-45 Shrike, which suffered from a small warhead, limited range and a poor guidance system.
Awalnya dikembangkan untuk US Navy selama tahun 1960-an, AGM-78 diciptakan karena keterbatasan AGM-45 Shrike, hulu ledak kecil, jangkauan terbatas dan sistem bimbingan kurang.