ANBO

Order of Battle · Aircraft manufacturers · Lithuania

ANBO

ANBO (aircraft of Antanas Gustaitis) · Karo aviacijos tiekimo skyrius (Military Aviation Supply Department workshops)

A chess-champion officer designed Lithuania’s own warplanes in Kaunas, led three on a 10,000 km tour of Europe, and was shot in Moscow after the Soviets seized his country.

1925Founded
Defunct 1940Status
7Aircraft on record
1Air forces flying its types
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
CountryLithuaniaFounded1925FoundersAntanas GustaitisHeadquartersKaunasStatusDefunct 1940
The story

ANBO: the company and the aircraft that made its name

Antanas wants to be in the air

ANBO was not a company but the signature of one man. Antanas Gustaitis joined the Lithuanian Army in 1919, flew in the Polish–Lithuanian War, trained pilots, helped found the Aero Club and, in 1922, won the Lithuanian chess championship. In 1925 his first design, the ANBO-I, was built and flown, and after engineering studies in Paris he ran the military aviation workshops in Kaunas. The name is usually explained as Antanas and his wife Bronė, though Lithuanians often read it as Antanas Nori Būti Ore, Antanas wants to be in the air.

A tour of Europe

Gustaitis’s designs grew steadily. The ANBO III parasol trainer of 1929 was the first Lithuanian-designed aircraft built in series. The ANBO IV reconnaissance aircraft, first flown on 14 July 1932 and built with Bristol Pegasus engines, made Lithuania’s name abroad: between 25 June and 29 July 1934 three ANBO IVs led by Gustaitis flew a 10,000 km tour of European capitals. The improved ANBO 41, with a three-blade wooden propeller unique in Europe, equipped two reconnaissance squadrons. Between 1925 and 1939, 66 aircraft of various ANBO types were built.

The last ANBO

The most ambitious design, the ANBO VIII dive bomber, flew on 5 September 1939, four days after Germany invaded Poland. It was still being tested when the Soviet Union annexed Lithuania in 1940 and took the prototype away. Gustaitis, by then a brigadier general who had commanded the air arm since 1934, lost his post and tried to flee to Germany in March 1941. He was caught, taken to Moscow and shot on 16 October 1941. Lithuanian enthusiasts flew an ANBO-II replica in 2016.

A chess-champion officer designed Lithuania’s own warplanes in Kaunas, led three on a 10,000 km tour of Europe, and was shot in Moscow after the Soviets seized his country.ANBO · verified 2026-10-03
At a glance

ANBO in numbers

The company

In short
Designs from 1925

  • Designed by Antanas Gustaitis, built in the military aviation workshops in Kaunas
  • Series ANBO IVs built by the Lithuanian state aircraft factory
  • Ended with the Soviet occupation, 1940

Production

Best known for
ANBO IV

  • 66 aircraft of all ANBO types, 1925–1939
  • ANBO III: first Lithuanian design built in series
  • ANBO IV and ANBO 41 reconnaissance aircraft
  • ANBO VIII dive bomber prototype, 1939

Today

Now
Defunct

  • ANBO-II replica flown in 2016
  • Gustaitis commemorated by the Antanas Gustaitis Aviation Institute in Vilnius

The numbers

ANBO aircraft built (all types)
661925–1939
European tour
10,000 km by three ANBO IVs1934
ANBO VIII top speed
411 km/h
The aircraft

Every notable ANBO aircraft

ANBO VIIIDive bomber and reconnaissance · first flight 1939 · 1 built

Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Aircraft Role First flight Built Status Note
ANBO-I Single-seat light monoplane 1925 Retired First Gustaitis design
ANBO-II Trainer 1927 Retired Replica flew in 2016
ANBO III Parasol trainer and utility aircraft 1929 8 Retired First Lithuanian design built in series
ANBO IV Reconnaissance aircraft 1932 14 (prototype and 13) Retired Bristol Pegasus engine; 1934 European tour
ANBO 41 Reconnaissance aircraft Retired Three-blade wooden propeller; equipped two squadrons in 1940
ANBO VI Parasol trainer 1933 4 Retired
ANBO VIII Dive bomber and reconnaissance 1939 1 Retired Taken by the Soviets in 1940
Who flies them

ANBO aircraft in the world’s air forces

1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew ANBO types. 0 of them still have one in service.

Air force In service Formerly flown
Lithuanian Air Force ANBO IV and ANBO 41, ANBO III, V, 51 and VI trainers, ANBO VIII
Places, people, records

Where ANBO built, who led it, what it achieved

Factories

  • Military aviation workshops · Kaunas — Run by Gustaitis from 1928

People

  • Antanas Gustaitis · designer, air force commander (1898–1941) — Lithuanian chess champion 1922; shot in Moscow 1941

Records and firsts

  • ANBO III: first aircraft of Lithuanian design built in series
  • ANBO 41: the only aircraft in Europe then using a three-blade wooden propeller
Timeline

ANBO, year by year

1925

ANBO-I designed, built and flown

1927

ANBO-II flies

1928

Gustaitis returns from Paris to head the Kaunas aviation workshops

1930

ANBO III enters series production

1932

ANBO IV first flight

1934

Three ANBO IVs start a 10,000 km European tour

1934

Gustaitis becomes commander of the air arm

1939

ANBO VIII first flight

1940

Soviet annexation; ANBO VIII taken by Soviet authorities

1941

Gustaitis shot in Moscow

2016

ANBO-II replica flies

Questions & Answers

Everything people ask about ANBO

What does ANBO stand for?
English sources explain it as Antanas and Bronė, the first names of designer Antanas Gustaitis and his wife. Lithuanian sources often give Antanas Nori Būti Ore, Antanas wants to be in the air.
Who designed the ANBO aircraft?
Antanas Gustaitis, a Lithuanian air force officer and engineer who later commanded the air arm.
How many ANBO aircraft were built?
66 aircraft of various types between 1925 and 1939.
What happened to Antanas Gustaitis?
After the Soviet occupation he tried to flee in 1941, was arrested, taken to Moscow and shot on 16 October 1941.

Continue the tour

Around ANBO

The indexAll aircraft manufacturersEvery company that built an aircraft flown by the air forces in the Order of Battle, current and historic.Open the list
Sources & Further Reading

Every fact, checked

Verified 2026-10-03.