The PG-1 was intended to fulfill both ground strafing and aerial defense roles, the contract for construction was won by Aeromarine in May 1921.[1]
Armed with a single 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine gun as well as a 37 mm Baldwin cannon firing through the propeller hub; the cockpit had 1⁄4-inch (6.35 mm) armour. The wings were dissimilar, with a wide-chord upper wing with ailerons, and a closely spaced narrow-chord lower plane with dihedral that placed the tips close to the upper wing. The upper wing was mounted close to the top of the fuselage with a cut-away forward section to accommodate the cockpit, and attached to the lower plane via V-type struts.[1]
Power was to have been provided by the eight-cylinder, water-cooled 330 hp (250 kW) Wright K-2engine but the first two prototypes were fitted with 346 hp (258 kW) Packard 1A-1116 units due to delays in clearing the K-2 for flight testing.[1] A third prototype was also built and testing was eventually carried out using both the K-2 and Packard 1A-1237 at McCook Field.[1] Prototype aircraft suffered disappointing performance, high levels of vibration and poor visibility. The aircraft had a tendency to spin when stalled.[2] Development was abandoned in 1922.[1]
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