The Beechcraft Model 997 was proposed in response to a 1983 United States Navy requirement for a target drone to replace the BQM-34 in service.

[4] Launch was from a carrier-based aircraft,[3] although it could also be land- or ship-launched through the use of a solid rocket booster; landing, if the drone was not shot down, was by parachute.

[4] The first flight of the Model 997 took place in March 1984; in 1985, the Navy ordered the drone into full-scale development, designating it BQM-126A.

[3] The BQM-126A was considered superior to the BQM-34S with regards to threat replication,[3] and was intended to be significantly lower in cost as well.

[2] One surviving drone is on display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.