This allowed the airframe to be both lighter and stronger, making the aircraft fast and agile, and it was able to outrun some contemporary fighters.

The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 led to Breguet-built aircraft being ordered by the military air services of several Triple Entente nations.

[3] He temporarily abandoned the preferred tractor configuration for a pusher design to satisfy the French general staff, who sought a clear forward view for the observer.

The French Army's Section Technique de l' Aéronautique (STAé) recommended that Breguet use the Hispano-Suiza 8A V-8 engine of 130 kW (180 hp).

The lower wing had flaps along the entire trailing edges, that were forced into their raised position by the air, as the aircraft accelerated to its normal speed, being restricted from moving freely by a set of 12 adjustable rubber bungee cords.

[6] The airframe's structure was constructed primarily of duralumin, an aluminium alloy which had been invented in Germany by Alfred Wilm only a decade previously.

The wing spars were rectangular duralumin tubes with either oak or ash shims at the attachment points, wrapped in a sheet steel sheath.

[5] French officials were initially wary of the Type XIV's innovative materials due to a lack of experience with them.

The report issued on 7 February 1917 from the trials stated that the prototype had attained a speed of 172 km/h (107 mph) at an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft).

[10] As an insurance against engine shortages, alternatives to the standard Renault powerplant were installed, both for experimental purposes and in production quantities.

Further derivatives of the aircraft included the XVII C.2 (Chasse) two-seat fighter, which was only built in small numbers due to the end of the war.

[16] A Breguet 14 played a role in one of the last acts of the war: during November 1918, one aircraft was used to transport a German military officer, Major von Geyer, from Tergnier and Spa.

[10] A special version was developed for the harsh conditions encountered overseas, designated "14 TOE" (Théatres des Operations Extérieures).

These saw service in putting down uprisings in Syria and Morocco, in Vietnam and in the French intervention in the Russian Civil War.

Aviation pioneer Pierre-Georges Latécoère converted one example to conduct experimental in-flight refuelling operations.