Re: Performed as expected...
1. An SRB explosion causing immediate structural failure of the craft due to excessive g-forces - something I can't see Soyuz surviving either. After all, Shuttle had emergency SRB separation available, if there'd been time.
Hmm... IIRC There was no SRB explosion. The fuel tank was breached by a dislodged SRB, which pierced it after a burn through... The fuel tank then burst and the fuel burned but there wasn't an explosion as such. The aerodynamic load tore the vehicle apart, yes, but the thing is that the Shuttle's crew cabin survived the structural failure and, if there was an escape system, the crew would have survived too instead of being smashed to pieces when the cockpit section fell into the sea.