Nieuport 11
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The Nieuport 11 (or Nieuport XI C.1 in contemporary sources), nicknamed the ''Bébé'', was a French
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
single seat
sesquiplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
, designed by Gustave Delage. It was the primary aircraft that ended the Fokker Scourge in 1916.Chant & Taylor 2007, p. 14. The type saw service with several of France's allies, and gave rise to the series of "vee-strut" Nieuport fighters that remained in service (latterly as trainers) into the 1920s.


Design and development

The Nieuport 11 was a scaled down development of the Nieuport 10, designed specifically as a single-seat fighter. Like the "10" the "11" was a sesquiplane, a biplane with a full-sized top wing with two spars, and a lower wing of much narrower chord and a single spar.
Interplane strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
s in the form of a "Vee" joined the upper and lower wings. The sesquiplane layout reduced drag and improved the rate of climb, as well as offering a better view from the cockpit than either biplane or monoplane, while being substantially stronger than contemporary monoplanes. The narrow lower wing could experience
aeroelastic flutter Aeroelasticity is the branch of physics and engineering studying the interactions between the inertial, elastic, and aerodynamic forces occurring while an elastic body is exposed to a fluid flow. The study of aeroelasticity may be broadly classif ...
, but at air speeds beyond which the Nieuport 11 was capable, but would become an occasional problem on later much higher powered developments, as well as the German
Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service ('' Luftstreitkräfte'') during World War I. A modified licence model was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service ( ''Luftfahrtruppen''). ...
.Fitzsimons 1967/1969, p. 1989. Nieuport 11s were supplied to the French ''Aéronautique Militaire'', the British
Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
, the
Imperial Russian Air Service The Imperial Russian Air Service (russian: Императорскій военно-воздушный флотъ, , Emperor's Military Air Fleet) was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia."''12 августа 1912 года прик ...
, the
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...
, and Italian
Corpo Aeronautico Militare The Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare (Military Aviation Corps) was formed as part of the Regio Esercito (Royal Army) on 7 January 1915, incorporating the Aviators Flights Battalion (airplanes), the Specialists Battalion (airships) and the Ballo ...
. 646 Nieuport 11s were produced by the Italian Macchi company under licence. After Romania suffered military setbacks, one Nieuport 11, and several Nieuport 12s were transferred from RNAS No.2 Wing as part of the ''Romanian Flight'' mission. Additional airplanes received were assembled at
Rezerva generală a aviației Rezerva generală a aviației (RGA) or the General Aviation Reserve in English was a Romanian aircraft factory founded during the First World War. It operated between 1916 and 1919 in Iași. After the war it was transferred to Bucharest and rename ...
, however the exact number of Nieuport 11s delivered is unknown.


Nieuport 16

In 1916 an improved version appeared as the
Nieuport 16 The Nieuport 16 C.1 (or Nieuport XVI C.1 in contemporary sources)The C in the designation indicates that it is a ''chasseur'' or fighter, and the 1 indicates the number of crew members. was a French World War I single-seat sesquiplane fighter air ...
, which was a strengthened Nieuport 11 airframe powered by a
Le Rhône 9J The Le Rhône 9J is a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine produced in France by Gnome et Rhône. Also known as the Le Rhône 110 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to a number of military aircraf ...
rotary engine. Visible differences included a larger aperture in front of the "horse shoe" cowling and a headrest for the pilot. The Nieuport 16 was an interim type pending the delivery of the slightly larger
Nieuport 17 The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little larger than earlier N ...
C.1 whose design was begun in parallel with the 16, and remedied the 16's
balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...
problems, as well as further improving performance.Cheeseman 1960, p. 92.


Operational history

The Nieuport 11 reached the French front in January 1916, and 90 were in service within the month. This small sesquiplane outclassed the Fokker ''Eindecker'' in every respect, including speed, climb rate and maneuverability. It featured
ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in Flight dynamics, roll (or ...
for lateral control rather than the Fokker's
wing warping Wing warping was an early system for lateral (roll) control of a fixed-wing aircraft. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers, consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite direc ...
, giving lighter, quicker roll response, and its elevator was attached to a conventional tail plane which provided better pitch control as opposed to the all-moving, balanced "Morane type"
elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...
s of the Fokker. The Fokker's sole remaining advantage was its synchronized machine gun, which fired forward through the arc of its propeller. At the time, the Allies lacked a similar system, and the Nieuport 11's
Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
machine gunA few aircraft were at first fitted with
Hotchkiss gun The Hotchkiss gun can refer to different products of the Hotchkiss arms company starting in the late 19th century. It usually refers to the 1.65-inch (42 mm) light mountain gun; there were also a navy (47 mm) and a 3-inch (76&nbs ...
s and, in Italian service, with the Fiat-Revelli until the Lewis was available in sufficient numbers.
was mounted to fire over the propeller, allowing uninterrupted forward fire. The Lewis was not synchronizable, due to its
open bolt A firearm is said to fire from an open bolt if, when ready to fire, the bolt and working parts are held to the rear of the receiver, with no round in the chamber. When the trigger is actuated, the bolt travels forward, feeds a cartridge from t ...
firing cycle design which resulted in an unpredictable rate of fire. Clearing gun jams and replacing ammunition drums in flight were challenging though, and the drums limited ammunition supply. During the course of the
Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
in February 1916, the combination of the Nieuport 11s technical advantages and its concentration in dedicated fighter units allowed the French to establish air superiority, ending the so-called "Fokker Scourge" and forcing radical changes in German tactics. The impact of the Nieuport was so dramatic that in mid to late 1916 several captured examples were repaired, rearmed with a synchronised "Spandau" gun, and flown at the front.Van Wyngarden 2006, p.45 Others were supplied by Idflieg to several manufacturers with the request that copies be built, and this had considerable influence on German fighter design. Some Nieuport 11s and 16s were fitted to fire
Le Prieur rocket ''Le Prieur'' rockets (French ''Fusées Le Prieur'') were a type of incendiary air-to-air rocket used in World War I against observation balloons and airships. They were invented by the French lieutenant Yves Le Prieur and were first used in the ...
s from the struts for attacks on
observation balloons An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I ...
and
airships An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air Powered aircraft, under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding a ...
. By March 1916 the ''Bébé'' was being replaced by both the
Nieuport 16 The Nieuport 16 C.1 (or Nieuport XVI C.1 in contemporary sources)The C in the designation indicates that it is a ''chasseur'' or fighter, and the 1 indicates the number of crew members. was a French World War I single-seat sesquiplane fighter air ...
and the much improved
Nieuport 17 The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little larger than earlier N ...
, although Italian-built examples remained in first line service longer, as did Russian examples. Thereafter the Nieuport 11s continued to be used as trainers.


Variants

;Nieuport 11 C.1 :Single-seat fighter/scout biplane. Also known as the Nieuport ''Bébé'' or Nieuport Scout although these were used for any Nieuport fighter. ;Nieuport-Macchi 11000 or 11.000 :Variant built under licence in Italy with some detail modifications. ;
Nieuport 16 The Nieuport 16 C.1 (or Nieuport XVI C.1 in contemporary sources)The C in the designation indicates that it is a ''chasseur'' or fighter, and the 1 indicates the number of crew members. was a French World War I single-seat sesquiplane fighter air ...
C.1 :Improved version powered by a 110 hp (92 kW) Le Rhone 9J rotary piston engine. ;B.Kh.1 :Siamese designation for the Nieuport 11.


Operators

; : * ''Aviation Militaire Belge'' ** ''1ère Escadrille de Chasse''Davilla, 1997, p.362 ** ''5me Escadrille de Chasse'' ** ''6me Escadrille de Chasse'' ; : * ''Aéronautique Militaire'' ** Escadrille N.3Davilla, 1997, p.360 ** Escadrille N.12 ** Escadrille N.15 ** Escadrille N.23 ** Escadrille N.26 ** Escadrille N.31Davilla, 1997, p.361 ** Escadrille N.37 ** Escadrille N.38 ** Escadrille N.48 ** Escadrille N.49 ** Escadrille N.57 ** Escadrille N.65 ** Escadrille N.67 ** Escadrille N.68 ** Escadrille N.69 ** Escadrille N.73 ** Escadrille N.92 ** Escadrille N.102 ** Escadrille N.103 ** Escadrille N.112 **
Escadrille N.124 The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the History of the Armée de l'Air (1909–1942)#World War I ( ...
** Escadrille N.387 ** Escadrille N.391 ; : *''
Corpo Aeronautico Militare The Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare (Military Aviation Corps) was formed as part of the Regio Esercito (Royal Army) on 7 January 1915, incorporating the Aviators Flights Battalion (airplanes), the Specialists Battalion (airships) and the Ballo ...
'' - built under licence by Nieuport-Macchi **Supreme CommandDavilla, 1997, p.363 ***''
70a Squadriglia 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
'' **''9th Gruppo (1 Armata)'' ***''
71a Squadriglia 71a Squadriglia of the ''Corpo Aeronautico Militare'' was one of the original fighter squadrons of the Italian military. Founded on 30 January 1916 to fight in World War I, the squadron served until war's end. It flew almost 3,000 combat sorties in ...
'' ***'' 75a Squadriglia'' ***''
78a Squadriglia ''78a Squadriglia'' was one of the original Italian fighter squadrons of World War I, serving in combat from 29 June 1916 to 3 November 1918. They flew 4,770 combat missions and were credited with 88 aerial victories. History 78a Squadriglia of t ...
'' **''2nd Gruppo (2nd & 4th Armata)'' ***'' 76a Squadriglia'' ***'' 81a Squadriglia'' ***'' 85a Squadriglia'' (last Italian unit to operate Nieuport 11s, withdrawn 4 November 1918) **''3rd gruppo'' ***'' 72a Squadriglia'' **''7th Gruppo (6th & 1st Armata)'' ***''
79a Squadriglia ''79a Squadriglia'' was one of Italy's first fighter squadrons. It served in combat during World War I from 13 January 1917 though war's end. It was credited with 47 aerial victories. History 79a Squadriglia of the ''Corpo Aeronautico Militare'' ...
'' **''10th Gruppo'' ***''
70a Squadriglia 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
'' ***''
78a Squadriglia ''78a Squadriglia'' was one of the original Italian fighter squadrons of World War I, serving in combat from 29 June 1916 to 3 November 1918. They flew 4,770 combat missions and were credited with 88 aerial victories. History 78a Squadriglia of t ...
'' ***'' 82a Squadriglia'' ***''
91a Squadriglia ''Squadriglia 91a'' was one of the later fighter squadrons that the Italian Army created, on 1 May 1917. Because it drew an experienced cadre of pilots from pre-existing ''70a Squadriglia'', the squadron scored 14 victories within its first month ...
'' **Independent ***'' 83a Squadriglia'' ***'' 85a Squadriglia'' ***'' Sezione Nieuport'' ; *''
Luchtvaartafdeling , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force'' , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...
'' (1 example captured, and 5 copies built by NV at Trompenburg) ; : *'' Corpul Aerian Român'' - 1 Nieuport 11 was transferred from RNAS No.2 Wing in 1916. Total number of Nieuport 11s is unknown. **'' Grupul 1 Aeronautic'' ***''Escadrila N.1'' **'' Grupul 2 Aeronautic'' ***''Escadrila N.3'' ***''Escadrila N.11'' **''Grupul 3 Aeronautic'' ***''Escadrila N.10'' ; : *
Imperial Russian Air Force The Imperial Russian Air Service (russian: Императорскій военно-воздушный флотъ, , Emperor's Military Air Fleet) was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia."''12 августа 1912 года прика ...
- some built under licence by
Dux ''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...
; *
Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
- operated 18 Nieuport 11s.Davilla, 1997, p.365 The RFC did not operate the Nieuport 11. **No.1 Wing **No.2 Wing **No.4 Wing


Survivors and reproductions

* the Musée de l'Air at
le Bourget Le Bourget () is a Communes of France, commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris. The commune features Paris - Le Bourget Airport, Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hos ...
in Paris has the sole original surviving Nieuport 11, currently marked as N556 with the personal markings of Commandant Charles de Tricornot de Rose, holder of the first military pilot licence. It had previously been marked as N976. *
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum in Rhinebeck, New York. It owns many examples of airworthy aircraft of the Pioneer Era, World War I and the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, and multiple examples of roadworthy antiqu ...
has had a reproduction Bébé flying in many of their airshows in past years, last seen in
Victor Chapman Victor Emmanuel Chapman (April 17, 1890 – June 24, 1916) was a French-American pilot remembered for his exploits during World War I. He was the first American pilot to die in the war. Growing up Chapman was born in New York City to essayist Jo ...
's colours, and powered with an original
Le Rhône 9C The Le Rhône 9C is a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine produced in France by '' Société des Moteurs Le Rhône'' / Gnome et Rhône. Also known as the Le Rhône 80 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was ...
rotary engine, however it is currently being rebuilt following a crash. * Vintage Aviator in New Zealand flies a Le Rhône-powered replica which was built in the United States which flies in the markings of Italian ace Alvaro Leonardi.


Specifications (Nieuport 11 C.1)


See also


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * Chant, Christopher, and Michael J. H. Taylor. ''The World's Greatest Aircraft''. Edison, NJ: Cartwell Books Inc., 2007. . * * * * Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the 20th Century Weapons and Warfare''. London: Purnell & Sons Ltd., 1967/1969. . * * * * Janić Č., Petrović O., ''Short History of Aviation in Serbia'', Beograd, Aerokomunikacije, 2011. . * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1910s French fighter aircraft 011 Sesquiplanes Aircraft first flown in 1915 Single-engined tractor aircraft Rotary-engined aircraft