The F.2 reflects the RNAS home-defence burden

The sole F.2 prototype was assembled in a wooden shed and reassembled at Northolt for its official flight in May 1917. By then Admiralty interest had waned as more suitable floatplanes and seaplanes appeared. The original requirement is unclear, but the aircraft's size and endurance may have suited attacks on Zeppelin raiders or specialized deep-penetration work. Those possibilities make more sense in light of the RNAS responsibility for defending Britain during the earlier part of the war.