Many of the normal requirements included in fighter specifications were omitted with the hope of resulting in an aircraft with higher performance.

[2] The specification required a speed of 208 mph (335 km/h) at sea level and a service ceiling of 29,000 ft (8,800 m), with an armament of a single machine gun.

[5] The water-cooled Rolls-Royce Condor engine was tightly coweled to minimise drag, and drove a two bladed propeller (initially a fine-pitch Watts).

[9][10] The pilot sat in an open cockpit behind the engine and fuel and oil tanks, with a cut-out in the upper wing trailing edge to improve his view.

[11] The prototype, powered by a 650 hp (480 kW) Condor III engine, made its first flight in the summer of 1925 with F. P. Raynham at the controls, probably early in July that year.

[17] Engine overheating occurred during flight tests, which may have been a result of using normal service fuel for extended high power runs.

[17][19] The type was considered to be unsuitable for use as an interceptor, with Hugh Trenchard, the Chief of the Air Staff claiming that "...for war it would be practically useless".