ANBO-IV
| ANBO-IV / ANBO-41 | |
|---|---|
_a_Walter_Pegas_(1934).jpg) ANBO-IV L of the 8th squadrile in Panevėžys |
|
| Type: | Reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 14, 1932 |
| Commissioning: |
1934 |
| Production time: |
1932-1939 |
| Number of pieces: |
14 ANBO-IV, |
The ANBO-IV and its further development ANBO-41 were Lithuanian multipurpose aircraft of the 1930s and the most famous designs of the aircraft designer Antanas Gustaitis .
development
Gustaitis designed the high- wing aircraft designed mainly as a reconnaissance aircraft for the Karo Aviacija . The prototype was completed in 1932 by the military aircraft workshop (Karo aviacijos tiekimo skyrius) in Kaunas , whose director Gustaitis was appointed in 1929, and flew for the first time on July 14th. It was initially equipped with a Wasp engine, which turned out to be too weak, which is why a stronger Panther was installed. The tests were successful and a series of 13 aircraft named ANBO-IV (for Antanas Nori Būti Ore) were launched, which received a Pegasus drive with a rigid two-bladed wooden propeller and were delivered to the air force until 1935. Depending on the engine design used, they were designated as ANBO-IV L (for Pegasus L2) or ANBO-IV M (for Pegasus M2).
The ANBO-IV gained some international fame in 1934 when a formation of three led by Gustaitis completed a round trip through Europe from June 25 to July 29, covering around 10,000 km. This tour, which went through various capital cities such as Stockholm, Copenhagen, Brussels, London, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Prague, Bucharest and Moscow, brought the existence of a Lithuanian aviation industry to the public's attention.
The most powerful version, the ANBO-41 , appeared in 1937 and was powered by the Pegasus XI , which developed 686 kW (933 hp). 20 of them were produced, which made them the most popular aircraft made locally, and handed over to the air force by 1939.
commitment
After they were taken over by the army, the aircraft were divided between the individual squadrons (squadrons) of the air forces and integrated into the military flying school in Kaunas. After a military reform carried out in 1938, which also included the creation of two new squadrons in addition to the six existing ones, the 12 existing ANBO-IVs of the 6th and 8th squadrons within the I. Group (reconnaissance) in Panevėžys (3 and 6 respectively ) and the training group in Kaunas (3 pieces).
7 of the ANBO-41 went to the 2nd Squadrile in Kaunas and 3 also to the 6th Squadrile. The remaining 10 flew in the 4th Squadrile in Šiauliai , which was part of the III. Group was responsible for ground support.
The ANBO-IV and ANBO-41 were also assigned to these units when the Red Army occupied Lithuania on June 15, 1940 and took over the aircraft without a fight. In the course of the subsequent formation of the Lithuanian Soviet Republic , some copies were taken over and incorporated into the newly formed, Lithuanian national squadron (Tautine Eskadrile) under the leadership of Major J. Kovacs, the rest of which served alongside most of the others of the former fleet of the Lithuanian air force as a spare parts donor or exercise targets for maneuvers by the Red Army. As part of the political upheaval, the designer of the ANBO-IV, Gustaitis, was arrested and shot on October 16, 1941 in Moscow.
At the beginning of the German attack on the Soviet Union, the national squadron received the order to move to the rear of the Soviet territory and thus to evade the attack of the rapidly advancing German troops . However, many pilots of the squadron perceived the Red Army as an occupying power and took the opportunity to desert with their planes . Commander Kovacs, for example, was shot down with his ANBO-41 when attacking Soviet ground forces on the occasion. This is how the Luftwaffe came into possession of some ANBO aircraft.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (ANBO-IV with "Wasp") | Data (ANBO-IV with "Panther") | Data (ANBO-IV L) | Data (ANBO-IV M) | Data (ANBO-41) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First flight | 1932 | 1934 | 1935 | 1937 | |
| crew | 2 (pilot, observer / gunner) | ||||
| span | 13.20 m | ||||
| length | 8.75 m | 8.80 m | |||
| height | 3.40 m | ||||
| Empty mass | 1450 kg | 1500 kg | |||
| Max. Takeoff mass | 2200 kg | 2300 kg | |||
| drive | a Pratt & Whitney Wasp | an Armstrong Siddeley panther | a Bristol Pegasus Mk.II L2 | a Bristol Pegasus Mk.II M2 | a Bristol Pegasus Mk.XI |
| power | 336 kW (457 hp) | 400 kW (544 PS) | 433 kW (589 hp) | 686 kW (933 hp) | |
| Top speed | 240 km / h | 270 km / h | 290 km / h | 300 km / h | 360 km / h |
| Landing speed | 90 km / h | 95 km / h | 100 km / h | ||
| Armament | two fixed 7.7 mm machine guns, two movable 7.7 mm machine guns | ||||
| Bomb load | 140 kg | 200 kg | |||
literature
- Peter All-Fernandez (ed.): Aircraft from A to Z . tape 1 . Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1987, ISBN 3-7637-5904-2 , p. 90 .
- Karinés Oro Pajégos - from 1918 until today . In: Fliegerrevue Extra . No. 5 . Möller, Berlin 2004, p. 39 ff .
Web links
Individual proof
- ↑ Marat Chairulin: The ANBO aircraft and Lithuania small air fighting force . In: Fliegerrevue . No. 4/1993 , p. 34 .