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. A general layout of this kind had various drawbacks - the most obvious being the perilous situation of the gunner - who was liable to injury by the propeller, or to be crushed by the engine in the mildest of crashes. 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. ==Service testing==