CL289 was developed as a tri-national project between Canada, France and Germany. Bombardier Inc and the Canadair Group of Canada were the system leaders and Dornier GmbH the prime contractor. SAGEM and EADS (formerly Aerospatiale-Matra Missiles), under contract to the French Government, are responsible for the electro-optic systems. EADS carries out the co-ordination for the French PIVER ground system.

The body of the drone is 3.48 m in length and has cruciform wings and canard control surfaces. The reconnaissance sensors are installed in the underside of the fuselage. Radar signature reduction has been achieved using radar absorbing material and low radar cross-section contour design.

A three-axis flight control system uses a heading reference unit and a vertical gyroscope to provide flight stability. Velocity and altitude are measured by a Doppler mode altitude control which provides a partial terrain following flight path. A global positioning system has been integrated for increased accuracy. A set of pre-programmed mission data can be entered into the drone's computer memory prior to launch.

The CL 289 is equipped with a solid propellant booster motor which accelerates the drone to its flight speed. A single stage KHD T 117 jet sustainer engine provides 100 N thrust and also drives the power generator.

The reconnaissance payload consists of a Zeiss-Eltro Optronic KRb 8/24D optical camera and a SAGEM Corsaire infrared linescan system, which can be used separately or simultaneously according to the mission requirement.

The KRb 8/24D optical camera is equipped with three parallel lenses with deflecting prisms to provide a wide angle of view in the direction perpendicular to the direction of flight. Control of the exposure intervals ensures a degree of overlap for stereoscopic images.

The Corsaire infrared linescan system generates a video signal which is simultaneously recorded on the onboard data recorder and transmitted via the data link to the ground station.

The Sword development program, undertaken by Germany and France, involves the provision of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to provide long range high resolution images of the terrain under all weather conditions. The radar can also operate in Moving Target Indicator mode to display images of moving objects in the landscape.

The launch pallet, installed on a standard truck, is equipped with an automatic pre-flight check unit and power supplies. The computer within the check unit controls the test and launch sequence.

The drone is equipped with a two-stage parachute system for landing and two airbags which prevent damage on impact. The ground recovery vehicle is fitted with a homing beacon to control the airborne recovery systems. A landing signal cuts off the sustainer motor and activates the parachute system. The drogue parachute deploys first and then the main parachute is released. The drone turns over to give maximum protection to the sensor payload and to allow the surveillance cassettes to be removed.

The mission data are selected from a digital map and transferred to the drone by radio transmission or through a portable data transfer unit. The data includes launch, flight path, target area and homing beacon data. The automated flight planning process can include up to 10 targets.

The receive antenna on a retractable mast automatically follows the drone during data transmission. The data link ground station receives and records the video image signals of the infrared line scanner on thermo-sensitive film. These are viewed as still pictures on a television monitor, providing reconnaissance in near real time. Computer controlled electronic picture enhancement is used for target identification and determination of target co-ordinates.