"Spiv" wrote in message
...

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
link.net...

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...

The Tu-104 was in service before the Comet 4 and 707
for sure.


The Tu-104 began passenger operations in September 1956.



I once flew to Moscow in one during the
mid 70's , strange aircraft with that glazed nose one
almost expected to see a bombardier sitting there.


The Tu-104 was essentially a modified Tu-16 bomber.

The 707 was essentially a modified bomber too. Uncle Sam paid for the
development.

No, the Boeing 707 was never a bomber. "Military Derivatives. Another
aircraft type that traces its ancestry to the 707 prototype is the U.S. Air
Force KC/C-135 tanker-transport/cargo airplane...Additionally, three
707-120s plus two 707-320Bs, designated VC-137s, were delivered to the
Military Airlift Command for transporting high government officials...Recent
military applications of the 707 are the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control
System or AWACS (used by the U.S. Air Force, NATO, the Saudi government and
the French and British air forces for airborne surveillance, command and
control) and the E-6 used by the U.S. Navy for submarine communications...."
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/707family/

No, Boeing paid for the development itself. "Production go-ahead for the
Dash 80 was announced by Boeing Aug. 30, 1952, as a company-financed $16
million investment."
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/707family/