The AD Navyplane was designed by the British Admiralty's Air Department as a reconnaissance aircraft for use during World War I. Performance of the prototype was so disappointing that plans to produce it were cancelled almost immediately. The Navyplane was designed by the Admiralty's with the assistance of R.J. Mitchell of Supermarine. It was a pusher floatplane biplane with the pilot and observer being seated ahead of the wings in a streamlined lightweight nacelle mounted in the gap between the upper and lower sets of wings. A radial engine and a pusher propeller were installed behind them.