Although painted as N556, this is actually N976. In the spring of 1914, Gustave Delage designed a small (baptized "Bébé" Nieuport because of its size) single-seat biplane to take part in the Gordon-Bennett Cup. From this humble beginning, a combat aircraft emerged in Autumn 1915 with great agility and manoeuvrability, due in large part because the lower wing is slightly smaller than the upper wing. This example is on display in the colours of Commander Charles de Tricornot de Rose, an air combat pioneer who grouped these new fighters into dedicated units, so they could operate together more effectively.