First flown in 1935, the PWS-26 was a succesful advanced trainer built in fairly large numbers for the Polish air force. Upon the invasion of Poland a dozen or so were evacuated to Romania and others to Latvia; 28 of the latter were later sold to Romania by the Germans, and the type was used in Romania into the 1950s. This airframe was tested by the Luftwaffe as 'VG-AS' and it flew as SP-AJB after the war as a glider tug.