The intention of the designers was to combine the high performance of tractor configuration aircraft with a good field of fire for the observer's machine gun, as provided by pushers.

It was therefore decided to modify an example of the B.E.2c by adding a small wooden box (which soon gained the nickname "pulpit") in front of the aircraft's propeller, which would accommodate a gunner armed with a Lewis gun on a trainable mount.

The normal observer's cockpit of the B.E.2c was removed, allowing the engine (the standard air-cooled RAF 1a of the B.E.2) to be moved rearwards, while the wingspan was increased, and a larger fin was fitted.

The type was not developed further by the Royal Aircraft Factory (although the French SPAD S.A, of similar concept, saw service) and was soon rendered superfluous by the availability of synchronization gears.

[5] In his memoirs, Lt Duncan Grinnell-Milne recalls his gratitude that initial combat experience with the type proved inconclusive and that it was not ordered into mass production.