There was no boiler malfunction. Boiler isolation materials overheated / weren’t up up to snuff.

Series production of the Tu-95 started in January 1956 and it is expected to serve the Russian Air Force until at least 2040. It is arguably the noisiest military aircraft on earth. The Tu-142 was designed by the Tupolev design bureau, and manufactured by the Kuibyshev Aviation and Taganrog Machinery Plants from 1968 to 1994. In May 1970, the Soviet Naval Aviation (AV-MF) – the air arm of the Soviet Navy – began receiving production Tu-142s for operational trials.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-142

I.e. youngest airframe would be 20 years old at best. That plus noise plus earlier mentioned drawbacks make this an illusion.

One of the key justifications for launching the Sea Harrier programme was Iranian discussions with HS for several squadrons to equip three carriers. Not sure about Invincibles, thought it was Harrier Carriers.

I’m sure Hansard for that time has some reference, it was bandied-about at the time as explaining how the UK could afford to proceed with an otherwise limited-export-potential development.

Update: here we go, 1976 in Flight. Seems that Peru wanted Shars as well ( if you follow the story back a few pages )!

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%200954.html

For the younger viewers, “ASW Cruisers” was the euphemism for what became the Invincibles.

Peru has made a bid to buy the Royal Navy’s commando ship HMS Bulwark as well as a squadron of Sea Harriers.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%200951.html

De Ruyter was acquired by the Peruvian Navy and recommissioned in 1973 as BAP Almirante Grau. The De Zeven Provinciën was also bought in 1976, its RIM-2 Terrier SAM was removed and replaced by a hangar and a flight deck for ASH-3D Sea King helicopters, and recommissioned in 1978 as BAP Aguirre. From 1985 until 1988 the Almirante Grau underwent a major modernization by Amsterdam Naval Services (ANS), which has allowed the ship to remain in service, whereas the Aguirre was decommissioned in 1999.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Zeven_Provinci%C3%ABn_class_cruiser

So, BAP Aguirre (ex-Dutch De Zeven Provinciën) cruiser in place of HMS Bulwark…. Meaning, if Bulwark were acquired, Peru would have gotten 2nd AAW cruiser (rather than helicopter cruiser + missile cruiser).

Stealth Ship “Sea Shadow” Turned to Scrap Metal

see post #78

yes, it really could fly ;

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB:Kalinin_K-7_im_Flug.jpg

friendly yours,

Etienne

The K-7 first flew on 11 August 1933. The very brief first flight showed instability and serious vibration caused by the airframe resonating with the engine frequency. The solution to this was thought to be to shorten and strengthen the tail booms, little being known then about the natural frequencies of structures and their response to vibration.

The aircraft completed seven test flights before a crash due to structural failure of one of the tail booms on 21 November 1933. However, there appeared recently some speculations in the Russian aviation press about the role of politics and competing design office of A. N. Tupolev, suggesting possible sabotage. The accident killed 14 people aboard and one on the ground.

Although two more prototypes were ordered in 1933, the project was cancelled in 1935 before they could be completed. In 1938 Kalinin was executed as an enemy of the state during the Stalinist purges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalinin_K-7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C_8GGhY6kA

Welcome to Earth!

SUper Guppy …. (“take me to your leader”)

Transavia Airtruck

mikoyan-gurevich mig-8

F-85 Goblin

Short Sturgeon SB3

Tu 16LL

Boeing Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), a specially-modified Boeing 747 that will be used to haul big pieces of the company’s newest airliner, the 787 Dreamliner

Ju-287

Tacit Blue

how is it stealthy when so much antenna and wires are all over the top

this is stealthy

With that gun and SAM launcher and radar missile director? :diablo: