The J 23 first flew in June 1923 and was tail heavy, a fault rectified by an increase in length (several sources, e.g. put the length at about but L'Aérophile, a year after the first flight, gives ). By July five examples had been built and all appeared at the Gothenburg International Aero Show late in that month. On 10 August 1923 one set a Swedish altitude record of . Military testing proceeded until 15 March 1924, when there was a fatal, structural wing failure on one J 23. Though work on the aircraft continued and some modifications like an increase in tail area were made, the J 23 was thereafter seen as too fragile for service use.
