The company developed it as a wooden single-seat mid-wing cantilever monoplane, equipped with twin floats and powered by a 1,680 hp (1,253 kW) Hispano Suiza 18R W-18 piston engine.

Development was protracted, primarily as a result of engine-related difficulties, that delayed availability and thus did not permit the aircraft to race in the 1929 competition as intended.

During the early 1930s, the prototype was converted, and thus re-designated Bernard V.4, into a racing landplane; however, this aircraft would never actually fly as a result of funding having been pulled for the project.

[1] Despite both company's strenuous efforts, neither aircraft were ultimately able to participate at the 1929 event due to the failure of the engine manufacturer to deliver their intended powerplants on time.

These girders, which varied in both height and length dependent upon their specific location within the wing, were fitted with plywood flanges and spruce webs that were glued together to produce a longitudinal multicellular structure.

[4] Structural elements included a pair of box girders that formed two vertical walls; these were united via several frames of spruce and plywood.

These girders consist of a pair of longerons, complete with spruce uprights and crosspieces, that were assembled by gussets and entirely covered by plywood.

[5] A single-piece horizontal empennage was encased into the tip of the fuselage and secured via four bolts; it had a framework of two box spars and ribs and was covered with plywood.

[6] The floats were mounted in a similar fashion to that of a catamaran; they were connected to the central section of the wing by wooden panels and highly resistant steel tubing.

[8] A compact header tank was present that used air pressure to prevent fuel delivery issues while the aircraft was performing tight turns or high-G manoeuvres, although a prolonged bank could exceed its capabilities.