The Gannet was built in response to the 1945 Admiralty requirement GR.17/45, for which prototypes by Fairey (Type Q or Fairey 17, after the requirement) and Blackburn Aircraft (the Blackburn B-54 / B-88) were built.
Gannet byl postaven v roce 1945 jako odpověď na požadavek Admirality GR.17/45, pro který byly postaveny prototypy Fairey (typ Q nebo Fairey 17, po zadání požadavku) a Blackburn Aircraft (Blackburn B-54 / B-88).