It featured a futuristic and aerodynamic design with innovative elements that were ahead of its time, including unbraced cantilever wings, an enclosed fuselage and wheel fairings, and an engine with steam cooling and direct fuel injection.

Designed by Léon Levavasseur and Jules Gastambide, and baptized with the name "Monobloc", the aircraft featured a number of innovative aerodynamic refinements for its time.

The design reduced air resistance by the absence of any external bracing wires, and by having its control cables totally enclosed within its quadrangular-section fuselage and large wooden cantilever wings.

[9] The aircraft was exhibited at Le Grand Concours d'Aviation Militaire at Reims in September 1911 in the hope of attracting orders from the French military.

Organized by the French Army, this competition required that the aircraft and engines be fully built in France, and be able to fly without stop on a closed circuit of 300 km with a 300 kg load (not including oil, water and fuel) at a speed of more than 60 km/h.

The competition attracted the major French aircraft manufacturers of the time, including Blériot, Farman, Deperdussin and Nieuport.

[2] Despite the fitting of a more powerful V12 engine of 100 hp[8] and a smaller 16 litre fuel tank, Antoinette's Monobloc entry was under-powered and, though it may have managed a short hop of several metres, it was unable to successfully fly.