In 1938, Grumman presented a proposal to the Navy for a twin engine carrier based fighter. The design was unlike any aircraft that had ever been considered before by the USN. Grumman's concept called for a light weight (under 10,000 lbs maximum take off weight) aircraft powered by two 1,200 hp Wright R-1820 engines.
Being a low wing monoplane, the fuselage began aft of the wings leading edge. At the rear of the markedly short fuselage, the tail assembly was not unlike that of a B-25 Mitchell, however, with an pronounced dihedral to the horizontal stabilizer. The propellers were geared to rotate in opposite directions to cancel the effects of engine torque. The tail wheel was fully retractable.
