With the competing Boeing 727 and de Havilland DH.121 Trident both also advancing steadily, HFB abandoned the project in 1960.
The upper fuselage accommodated the crew cockpit and passenger cabin, while the lower half correspondingly housed the nosewheel and cargo bays.
The relatively sharply swept wing was mounted low on the fuselage, with the carry-through structure passing between the cargo holds.
The inner wing sections were more sharply swept and tapered, and housed the main undercarriage mechanism which retracted inwards so that the wheels lay in the fuselage.
Two Rolls-Royce RB 141/11 turbojets were fitted in blisters protruding from either side of the rear fuselage, with alternatives offered including the General Electric CJ-805-23 or Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3.