After the outbreak of World War I it was difficult for the neutral Dutch armed forces to obtain aircraft from abroad and so the Ammunition Agency approached the Nederlands Automobile and Aeroplane Co. for an indigenous fighter.

This request resulted in the Spijker V.1, a conventionally laid out tractor biplane powered by a 60 kW (80 hp) Swedish licence built Thulin Gnôme rotary engine.

The tailplane, carrying separate elevators, was mounted on the top of the fuselage and wire-braced to the fin; the rounded rudder extended to the keel.

The V.1 had a fixed, conventional undercarriage with mainwheels on a single axle supported by two V-form pairs of struts, originally curved but straight by May 1917.

[1] The prototype was complete by late 1916 but concerns over structural strength and some engine tuning delayed the first flight until 31 March 1917, flown by Floris Albert Van Heyst.