06/30/2009. To meet the requirements of an Admiralty competition of 1915 for a bomber, Short produced a landplane version of the Short Type 184. The prototype (c/n S.248, s/n 3706), fitted with two-bay wings and powered by a 225 hp Sunbeam, was first flown in 1915 by Short's test pilot, Ronald Kemp. Production aircraft were fitted with three-bay wings, while the upper-wing span was increased, this to increase the payload.

Contracts for 110 aircraft for the RNAS (later, 38 were cancelled) were placed with the following five companies (in brackets the number produced):

Short Brothers, Rochester, 50 (35), s/n 9306 to 9340
Sunbeam Motor Car, Wolverhampton, 20 (15), s/n 9356 to 9370
Mann, Egerton & Co, Norwich, 20 (20) 9476 to 9495
Parnall & Sons, Bristol, 10 (6), s/n 9771 to 9776
Phoenix Dynamo, Bradford, 10 (6), s/n 9831 to 9836

All aircraft were fitted with the 250 hp Rolls-Royce, except the Sunbeam produced ones, those were fitted with the 225 hp Sunbeam. Eventually twenty aircraft were transferred to the RFC.