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Buran is not just one ship but an entire class of ships, there was one finished (destroyed), one partially finished (in Kazakhstan)
and several more in various states of unfinishedness.

This one is possibly 2.02
http://www.buran-energia.com/bourane-buran/bourane-modele-202.php

insert "in Soviet Russia, space tugs YOU joke here.

That one is the lucky Buran. The one mentioned at the end of the article as currently being stored in a hanger ended up being destroyed a couple of years later when the hanger collapsed.

http://www.buran-energia.com/bourane-buran/bourane-fin.php

The Buran was destroyed, but there are more "Burans proper" (actually orbiters); in various stages of completion (first one on the list below was almost completed)

http://www.buran-energia.com/bourane-buran/bourane-modele-102.php
http://www.buran.ru/htm/2-01.htm
http://www.k26.com/buran/Future/2.02/space_buran_2_02.html

And you know, pretty much all vehicles we use in space can be qualified as spacecraft / spaceships... I'd argue that things like Apollo, Soyuz, Progress, Shenzou or ATV (not to mention all deep space probes) are actually much fuller "honest to god space ships". They were designed and built with greater focus on the actual spaceflight, often have missions lasting around half a year, plus Apollo and Soyuz travelled beyond LEO.

We don't need such construction vehicle when the modules can rendezvous independently. That said, I agree it will probably remain for a looong time the most impressive looking vehicle (with the possible exception of mentioned Buran (have you seen the plumes from its engines?), but yeah...not only flew only once, but in heavy cloud cover ;/ )

As part of a last gasp effort to regain relevancy by showing command of the sky, a test battlestation was launched on one of the two Energia boosters that flew.

It's worth emphasising the word 'test' here!

The Polyus was based on a TKS logistics vehicle (combination man-rated cargo transport, tug and on-orbit living quarters module that was intended for Mir-2) that was surplus from a test stand (!), mated to a mockup of the Skif-D battlestation that had been under design for years but had no actual functioning hardware. The mockup contained a lot of hardware stolen from other programmes, including Buran, in order to meet the crash deadline; the guidance system that failed and caused the deorbit was a guidance sensor that had been ripped out of an existing Cosmos spacecraft. It sounds like a horrible mess and was obviously intended as a prestige project rather than as anything useful.

In terms of weapon systems, it did contain a cannon designed to defend against anti-satellite weapons. It's unclear whether it was actually loaded. Other military hardware included a targeting laser, a barium cloud release system that was an experiment in deflecting beam weapons, and some target release systems.

So from a dakka perspective it's much less exciting than you make out!

From a space hardware perspective, though, it's deeply cool; not for what it did, but because it massed 80 tonnes and was 37 metres long, and went up (and then down again) in a single launch. Energia was quite a beast. It was a shame it only flew twice.

There are some decent technical specs and photos here (with practically no mention of the military aspects), and some information about the programme as a whole here.

With Buran, the Soviets used rather more Titanium. However aluminium alloys were also used for key components. The Soviets (now primarily the Russians and Ukrainians) have good experience with metallurgy so the production costs of Titanium alloys would not have been such a problem.

There is even a table showing the physical properties of the alloys used.

It should be emphasised that Buran did make it to and from orbit, but was unmanned for this test.

With Buran, the Soviets used rather more Titanium. However aluminium alloys were also used for key components. The Soviets (now primarily the Russians and Ukrainians) have good experience with metallurgy so the production costs of Titanium alloys would not have been such a problem.

There is even a table showing the physical properties of the alloys used.

It should be emphasised that Buran did make it to and from orbit, but was unmanned for this test.

> Neither Arianespace nor Energiya are going to fund the development of that kind of monster

They don't need to fund the development, they can just dust-down the plans for the Energia launcher ( and rebuild the jigs, and recast the parts etc etc )

Even in its basic, twice-flown configuration it can loft 95 tonnes to LEO. Strap-on derivatives were proposed for 170 tonnes.

And as it was designed to lIft Buran, it is designed to be man-rated.

http://www.buran-energia.com/energia/energia-desc.php

Just a small correction. According to my copy of "Rockets of the World" by Peter Alway and http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/energia.htm and http://www.buran-energia.com/energia/energia-desc. php, Energia used LOX/Kerosene strap on boosters and a LOX/LH2 core. No toxic, hypergolic fuels (though they were considered early in the design).