Fokker's design for the M.5 was very closely based on that of the French Morane-Saulnier H shoulder-wing monoplane although the fuselage had a welded steel tube frame in place of the wooden structure of the Type H.[1] The power-plant was a 60 kW (80 hp) Oberursel U.0 7-cylinder rotary engine (Gnome Lambda licence-built by Motorenfabrik Oberursel).

There were two versions of the M.5: the long-span 'M.5L' and the short-span 'M.5K' ("K" for kurz meaning "short" in German).

The M.5 was light, strong and manoeuvrable, capable of aerobatics (although, like all aircraft relying on the early style of Morane balanced elevators, it had very sensitive pitch control).

Fokker himself flew the M.5 at Johannisthal in May and June 1914, winning a number of awards.

The German army adopted the militarised long-span M.5L, manufactured by Halberstadt, designated the 'A.II'.