This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Grumman Aircraft Company for the United States Navy as a replacement for the earlier, piston-engined E-1 Tracer, which was rapidly becoming obsolete.
Pesawat ini twin turboprop dirancang dan dikembangkan selama 1950-an dan awal 1960-an oleh Grumman Aircraft Company untuk Angkatan Laut Amerika Serikat sebagai pengganti sebelumnya E-1 Tracer, yang dengan cepat menjadi usang.