 Ernst Heinkel chief designer of the Hansa und Brandenburgische Flugzeug-Werke developed the KD in 1916 to meet the requirements of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force ("Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen "or" K.u.K.Luftfahrtruppen").It was a single seat, single engined biplane, of wooden construction, with plywood fuselage skinning and fabric wing skins.