Iran is building a fake aircraft carrier...

[Viking]

I, defer to grumbler on this, but isn't the most important feature of the nimitz carrier not it's nature of being a floating air strip but rather it's ability to sail upwind at 30 knots while launching and retrieving aircraft allowing it to launch two engined super sonic fighters rather than small single person cessnas.

[DontSayBanana]

I wonder if it's going to be a prop for a commercial film.  That at least makes some sense.  I don't think anyone is "making a fuss" over this, nobody is really concerned.  Just bemused.

Argo fuck yourself.

[Josquius]

You think they're going to be boarding carriers? That's... Well... Ok then.... If you think so.....

I knew you'd back off your silly "middle eastern villages" analogy as soon as its silliness was challenged! 

[Neil]

It being filmed is silly; you can do the same thing in CGI for a whole lot less, and it will be just as realistic.

Did you see the CGI in that film about the drone that destroyed Israel and the US?  It looked like Tron, man.

[DontSayBanana]

Did you see the CGI in that film about the drone that destroyed Israel and the US?  It looked like Tron, man.

That's one of the perks of state-run media: since they set the bar on graphics effects, they really get to set the distance of the uncanny valley.

[mongers]

No one said the Iranians have to be entirely rational about their training programs.
It's quite possible they'd throw huge sums of money at a white elephant of a training prop, that a near full-size CV mock-up would be.

As others have said, could be an elaborate film prop or the outcome of some daft thinking or corruption from within the regime?

Perhaps it is an 'aircraft carrier' or what they think would serve as one, however ill-considered the project may be?

[Siege]

Target practice for the hammer squadron?

[Razgovory]

Maybe they will claim to have captured it.

[Viking]

perhaps it's a training device for boarding parties?

[CountDeMoney]

I, defer to grumbler on this, but isn't the most important feature of the nimitz carrier not it's nature of being a floating air strip but rather it's ability to sail upwind at 30 knots while launching and retrieving aircraft allowing it to launch two engined super sonic fighters rather than small single person cessnas.

Plenty of carriers other than the Nimitz class could do that;  what it's most important feature is the ability to not need to be refueled for years.

[CountDeMoney]

<insert vacuous comment>

Hell, the Royal Navy's been building fake aircraft carriers for decades.  [sirandrewdiceclay] Ooooh! [/sirandrewdiceclay]

[Siege]

Maybe is a movie set for a Iranian reality TV show.

[Viking]

I, defer to grumbler on this, but isn't the most important feature of the nimitz carrier not it's nature of being a floating air strip but rather it's ability to sail upwind at 30 knots while launching and retrieving aircraft allowing it to launch two engined super sonic fighters rather than small single person cessnas.

Plenty of carriers other than the Nimitz class could do that;  what it's most important feature is the ability to not need to be refueled for years.

100k tons at 30knts is a class only the Nimitzes and Fords can pull off.

[Zanza]

100k tons at 30knts is a class only the Nimitzes and Fords can pull off.

The Queen Mary 2 supposedly goes 30 knots and is roughly the size of USS Nimitz.

[Admiral Yi]

You think they're going to be boarding carriers? That's... Well... Ok then.... If you think so.....
What is more likely in such a war however is they would want to attack it with fast attack boats.

Boarding is the only one that makes the remotest sense as a training exercise.  You want your troops to be familiar with the floor plan.

Anything else, such as fast attack boats, suicide motor boats, Silkworms, whatever, it would make more sense to aim at a big piece of paper than to aim at a barge dressed up to look like the Nimitz.

If you've a better theory then let's hear it. Movie set or military training are the only logical ones that come to mind for me.

There's a reasonable theory in the article: propaganda film.