Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) has announced it will develop the first electric aircraft in Lithuania through the Antanas Gustaitis’ Aviation Institute (AGAI).
The news, which follows the Lithuanian Parliament’s declaration of 2025 as the year of Lithuanian Aviation Developers, was announced by VILNIUS TECH in a statement on January 22, 2025.
Antanas Gustaitis was a Lithuanian military pilot and aeronautical engineer who established a military aviation workshop and directed the production of nine types of ANBO aircraft, totaling 66 aircraft designed for various uses.
ANBO refers to aircraft created by Gustaitis and manufactured at the Kaunas Aviation Workshop. The first of the line, the ANBO-I aircraft, was developed, manufactured and tested in 1925, marking its 100th anniversary in 2025.
AGAI is working on an experimental electric aircraft project, with the first flight planned to take off from the institute’s airfield, the statement read. The aircraft will feature a uniquely designed aerodynamic wing profile created by Eduardas Lasauskas, former Head of the Aeronautics Department at AGAI. The project team will be led by Nerijus Česnaitis, an Aeronautical Engineer who currently manages the AGAI Aeronautical Engineering Practice Base.
The construction of an electric airplane will combine the main programs at AGAI, including aeronautical mechanical engineering for aircraft design and avionics for aviation electronics, the statement continued.
Laurynas Šišovas, Vice-Dean of AGAI Communication, Internationalization, Alumni and Partnership, said that the aircraft’s development is primarily a training and experimental project.
“The next step could be to apply innovative solutions,” said Šišovas. “This could include more advanced materials, more efficient energy systems or autonomous control functions that would be applicable to the development of a new generation of aircraft.”
