Naval attack aircraft had, until the end of World War II, come in two different types: torpedo bombers on one hand and dive bombers on the other. The Martin AM Mauler was able to combine both roles and paved the way for modern attack aircraft which were not limited by the weapons they could carry. Designed during the war years, the Mauler concept involved installing the most powerful piston engine at the time and an armament load which could comprise bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and mines: a total of 15 hardpoints were installed under the wings and fuselage (one demonstration involved a Mauler carrying over 10,600 lbs of weapons which was a record for single-engined aircraft at the time!). Yet despite these capabilities, the Mauler's career was cut short due to the introduction of the similar but far superior Skyraider and most were transfered to land-based reserve units until retired in 1953.

Based on the Martin Model 210, the first flight of the prototype XBTM-1 took place on 26 August 1944 and was ordered as the BTM-1 with Pratt & Whitney engines before it was renamed AM-1. Production models had Wright Cyclone engines and included the AM-1Q ECM platform as the only subvariant.