Sopwith Gunbus

The Sopwith Gunbus was a single-engined pusher biplane fighter of the First World War, developed from a floatplane that Sopwith built before the war for Greece. In 1913 the Sopwith Aviation Company took an order for six two-seat floatplanes for the Greek Naval Air Service, a dual-control trainer with a 100 hp Anzani radial engine and four-bay wings. The first flew in February 1914 and all six were delivered before the outbreak of war, and the Royal Naval Air Service bought two more as trainers. The Greek machines performed well, but the two British aircraft had unreliable engines and were withdrawn by February 1915. Small numbers were built, mainly for training.