The fuselage was of box section with curved upper decking mounted on the lower wing.

It was powered by a Rolls-Royce Eagle or a Sunbeam engine mounted in the nose, driving a two-bladed propeller.

Armament comprised a rear-facing Lewis Gun as well as provision for one 14 inch Whitehead torpedo or various bombs up to 920 lb.

This provided the required lift but at the same time rendered the aircraft unstable in both pitch and yaw.

[1] The Short Bomber was intended for long-range missions; the maximum flight duration was approximately six hours.