The Tiger was the outcome of the same redesign work on the AA-5 Traveler that resulted in the Cheetah and it was originally little more than the same aircraft with a Lycoming O-360-A4K engine, resulting in a cruise speed. Gross weight was increased from the AA-5/AA-5A's to on the Tiger. Externally the Tiger looked much like the AA-5 Traveler and AA-5A Cheetah so once again Grumman's marketing department came up with a distinctive decal package to differentiate the design – this time a "galloping tiger".