NIEUPORT 11 BEBE and 17 (France) ‘The Type 11 was the fighter largely instrumental for the defeat of the “Fokker Scourge’ in 1916. Planned as jon sesquiplane to take part in the Gordon Bennett Trophy race of 1914, the first Type 11 was designed and built in a mere four months, The Nieuport Type 17 id War [ led to the yn, but the Type 11 recognized as outbreak of ‘was nonethe possessing the performance and flight, characteristics to make it a useful military aircraft. Early Type 11 aircraft were powered by the 60-KW (80-hp) Le Rhéne rotary engine, and were used by the French and British as scouts from 1915. The aircraft's apparent daintiness led to the nickname Bebé (Baby). The Type 11 ‘was then tumed into a fighter by the addition of a machine-gun on the upper-wing centre section to fire over the propeller’s swept disc. ‘Many more aircraft were built ‘under licence in Italy by Macchi with the designation Ni 100. The ‘Type 16 was a version with the 82-kW (110-hp) Le Rhéne rotary for better performance. The Type 17 was a further expansion of the same design concept with a strengthened airframe but the same 82-kW Rhone. The new mot predecessors’ excell offered superior performance, including a sparkling rate of climb. ‘The fighter's 7.7-mm (0. the weapon’s rear down; oblique upward fire an ly later Type 17bis introduced the 97-kW (130-hp) Clerget rotary and a synchronized .e-gun on the upper fuselage, Still later models were the Type 21 with the 60-kW (80 hp), later the 82-KW (110 hp), Le Rhone and larger ailerons, and the slightly heavier ‘Type 23 with 60- or 89-KW (120 hp) Le Rhéne engines.