Nieuport 17Nieuport 17 airplane model. Many of the French and British aces began their careers flying the Nieuport 17. The highly maneuverable "Superbb" was a larger, improved version of the Nieuport 11. Like its predecessor, it was initially equipped with a Lewis gun but was upgraded to a synchronized Vickers machine gun. Helping end Germany's domination of the air war, the Nieuport 17 easily outclimbed and outperformed the Fokker E. III. The superior design