[1] It was powered by a nose-mounted tractor 665 hp (496 kW) Rolls-Royce Condor IIIA piston engine, fitted with a Leitner-Watts metal propeller.

The first, J7508, made its first flight in 1925 from RAF Andover, with Captain Frank Courtney as the test pilot.

The prototype was delivered to RAF Martlesham Heath for evaluation against the other aircraft built to meet the specification, the Hawker Horsley and the Bristol Berkeley.

After evaluation, the Yeovil and Berkley were not ordered into production, and the Horsley had already been given a contract against a different specification.

The three Yeovil prototypes continued to fly for a few years for research and testing.