The design by Gustave Delage, was a smaller version of the Nieuport 10. The aircraft was a light-weight biplane with good rate of climb and manoeuvreability. It was faster than the Fokker-Eindecker and also able to outmanoeuvre it. It was nicknamed Nieuport Bébé or Nieuport Scout. A V-shaped interplane strut joined the monospar lower wing with the broader upper wing. The narrower lower wing was placed behind the upper wing. The Nieuport 11 was powered by a 59 kW Gnome-Rhône-radial engine.