There is a critical need to develop reliable high control authority flow control actuators for high speed applications. This paper introduces a novel high control authority actuator in the form of a miniature shock tube actuator. Two types of shock tubes were developed, namely, a single driver and a multiple driver shock tube. Various characterization experiments performed on these shock tubes revealed that they produced high intensity shock waves as predicted by one dimensional shock wave theory. The actuators were then tested for their effectiveness in suppressing cavity noise. The flow control experiments revealed that the shock tubes produced a 12 dB and 10 dB suppression in tonal noise for Mach numbers of 0.6 and 0.8, respectively. These results were compared to a fast acting solenoid valve providing steady and pulsating mass injection. Details of the flow field being controlled were studied using mean velocity and phase averaged measurements. With further development such actuators have potential for use in high speed flow control situations.