The Ripon was designed as a successor to the Blackburn Dart torpedo bomber as well as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft to fulfil Air Ministry Specification 21/23.

The first prototype made its maiden flight on 17 April 1926, it was subsequently redesigned with a more effective engine installation, an enlarged rudder and increased wing sweepback.

[2] It was stipulated that it should have a two-man crew, comprising a pilot and navigator/gunner to facilitate long-range reconnaissance missions;[3] for the same reason, the aircraft was to have a maximum endurance of at least 12 hours.

[2] The resulting aircraft, which was designed around the Napier Lion V engine, drew heavily on the preceding Blackburn Velos coastal defence seaplane, having a broadly similar structure with the exception of its use of single-bay wings and the anhedral on the bottom central section.

[4] Referred to as the Ripon II, design changes from the prototypes gave it a distinctly different appearance, such as its more pointy nose as a consequence of the new cowling and retractable radiators for engine cooling.

The undercarriage had been drastically redesigned as well, featuring telescopic oleo struts fitted to the outboard ends of the bottoms centre front spar.

[4] Structurally the aircraft was largely unchanged and continued to conform with established Blackburn practices of the era, The gun ring was redesigned for a lower positioning, along with a slot in the rear decking for it to be locked into when not in use; the cockpit was also extended rearwards to house more apparatus.

[5] On 15 May 1928, the first production aircraft made its public debut, performing a flying demonstration that included a practice torpedo deployment over the Humber along with some aerobatic manoeuvres in front of the assembled press.

In early 1930, more substantial orders for 40 of the improved Ripon IIA were placed; this variant made greater use of duralumin in its wings and provided a mildly raised all-up weight.

[11] These efforts involved explorations of its reengining with BMW and Hispano-Suiza powerplants, largely due to the later models of the Napier Lion engine being still on the official secrets list at that time.

[13] In FAA service, it was normally operated in a landplane configuration from the navy's aircraft carriers; although it was capable of being converted to a seaplane, it was rarely fitted with floats in practice.

[16] It performed a diverse range of missions, including routine reconnaissance flights, U-boat patrols, casualty evacuation, leaflet dropping, and aerial supply operations.