It was a development of the Fokker D.XI with a new powerplant and considerably refined aerodynamics, and had been designed to meet the requirements of the clandestine flying school operated by the German Army at Lipetsk in the Soviet Union.

Like its predecessor, it was a conventional single-bay sesquiplane with staggered wings braced by V-struts.

The wings were made of wood and skinned with plywood, and the fuselage was built up of welded steel tube with fabric covering.

Under the cover of a fictitious order from Argentina, the German Army purchased 50 aircraft and arranged to have them transported to Lipetsk via Stettin and Leningrad.

At that point, the 30 remaining aircraft (including two that had been purchased separately from the original batch) were handed over to the Soviet Air Force.