Aside from early examples, it had the new Alkan-Hamy synchronization gear, permitting the use of a fuselage-mounted synchronised Vickers gun firing through the propeller disc.

At the time of its introduction in March 1916, the type's outstanding manoeuvrability and excellent rate of climb gave it a significant advantage over fighters on both sides and was described as "the best pursuit plane of the day".

Mass-produced by several French firms, the Nieuport 17 and its derivatives were built under licence in Italy by Nieuport-Macchi and in Russia by Dux.

The larger engine of the latter aircraft made it nose heavy and increased the wing loading, especially when armed with a synchronised Vickers gun.

They were actuated by a pair of push-pull rods that connected torque tubes running to the ailerons to the control column in the cockpit.

[6] The horizontal stabilizer, elevator and rudder were built up from welded 20 mm (0.79 in) diameter steel tube and controls for these were provided via conventional cables and pulleys.

Unfortunately at very high speeds (at what would now be termed its VNE, or "velocity, never exceed") the lower wing was prone to flutter, an aerodynamic phenomenon not fully understood at the time.

[5] The cowling was made of aluminium, had strengthening ribs and a pair of inset holes to provide ventilation and egress of the engine exhaust underneath.

[5] A cône de penetration (casserole de helice), resembling a spinner that didn't spin, was bolted to the front of the stationary engine crankshaft on some early examples but was generally dispensed with on later machines[9] Production of the new Alkan-Hamy synchronization gear permitted the wing-mounted Lewis gun on the earliest examples to be replaced with a synchronised Vickers gun mounted on the fuselage to fire through the propeller arc.

[4] The standard Royal Flying Corps synchroniser, the Vickers-Challenger gear, was unreliable and unpopular with pilots, so that in British service the over-wing Lewis gun was retained.

The gun was offset to starboard, the fuel and oil tank arrangement and the center section rigging were changed to suit.

Heavier than the preferred Le Rhône, output from the Clerget rotaries quickly fell below their rated power and the performance of the 17bis suffered accordingly.

[1] Almost all of the top French aces flew the nimble Nieuport during their flying careers, including Georges Guynemer, Charles Nungesser, Maurice Boyau, Armand Pinsard and René Dorme.

Italian aces, such as Francesco Baracca, Silvio Scaroni and Pier Piccio, achieved victories while flying Nieuport fighters.

Belgian aces flying the type included Andre de Meulemeester, Edmond Thieffry and Jan Olieslagers.

[27] Being largely reliant on aircraft procured directly from France, there was pressure within Russia to establish the domestic manufacture of fighters and the type was produced under licence however inexperience and the limited availability of trained personnel to assist, and poor quality raw materials limited quality.

So impressive were the Nieuport fighters in early 1916 that Idflieg (the German Inspectorate of flying troops) requested their aircraft manufacturers to produce a copy.

[30] The copy differed primarily in minor details, was deemed to be satisfactory and went into production, although the SSW D.I was obsolete by the time it went into service and was used mainly as an advanced trainer.

[31] A single original example has survived, this being Nieuport 23 "5024", which has been preserved and following a recent restoration, was placed on static display in the Belgian Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

Dedicated kits for the type have been produced, including both 7/8ths scale and full size, and groups of builders have reproduced entire squadrons of aircraft in this manner.

Contemporary drawings, sourced from both the original factory and a German technical report on the fighter, have facilitated the construction of various replicas, such as the example on display in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, which was built to the original specifications, while many others have used more modern construction, often using metal tubes to replace much of the wooden structure used on authentic aircraft.