At the end, there will also be t shirts on sale, and people will able to take pictures with a Vulcan Bomber aircraft currently on the tarmac.
Proceeds from the race are going towards the upkeep of it, as it also offers rare cockpit and wing tours still.
Libra Races said: “We are very excited to announce that Run the Runway is now open for entries, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to run a race on the DoncasterSheffield Airport Runway ahead of flights returning hopefully in 2027.”
The one-day event is set to take place next year on March 21.
Tickets are on sale with the shorter race costing £14 and the longer route costing £20.
More than 300 tickets have already been sold since they went on sale yesterday.
Runners will also be able to take pictures in front of the Vulcan BomberCredit: PA
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
A Ukrainian attack on the aircraft manufacturer Beriev’s facility in Taganrog in southwestern Russia overnight appears to have knocked out a unique laser testbed aircraft, the A-60, and at least one more. While the most recent status of the A-60 program remains unclear, the attack once again underscores Ukraine’s ability to strike high-value Russian military aircraft on their airfields, a capability that has been bolstered through the addition of long-range cruise missiles, as well as an expanding inventory of attack drones, both large and small.
Videos posted to social media reveal the immediate aftermath of the attack, with a significant blaze illuminating the night sky. At least one video shows a burning aircraft, which appears to be the unique A-60, an aircraft based on a converted Il-76MD Candid transport. Its identity was subsequently confirmed by satellite imagery, which also revealed the destruction of another airframe, apparently a testbed associated with Russia’s new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform.
🇺🇦Ukrainian Armed Forces struck an experimental Russian A-60 aircraft — a laser weapon carrier — at the airfield in Taganrog during the night
During the project, only two prototypes of this experimental system were built in the USSR.
There are differing accounts of whether Ukraine used drones or cruise missiles to attack the factory airfield at Taganrog/Tsentralnyy in the Rostov region, a facility that has also been struck in the past. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, both Bars jet-powered long-range one-way attack drones and Neptune cruise missiles were employed. As you can read about here, Ukraine has been steadily increasing the range of the land-attack versions of the Neptune missile, which is derived from an anti-ship cruise missile. Meanwhile, the Bars is one of a growing series of Ukrainian munitions that blur the line between drones and traditional cruise missiles, and which also includes the Peklo ‘missile drone’.
Confirmed by Ukraine’s General Staff: the rare Russian A-60 airborne laser aircraft was likely destroyed in a strike on the Beriev plant in Taganrog. Also hit: drone factory “Molniya,” oil terminals in Novorossiysk, Tuapse refinery, and an S-400 launcher. pic.twitter.com/yaz74Y592k
The second A-60 test aircraft, the 1A2, appears to have been destroyed in the overnight attack on Taganrog. Beriev
The Russian Telegram news channel Astra confirmed that drone strikes had caused a fire at Taganrog/Tsentralnyy, while eyewitness accounts from the area also point to at least one aircraft left burning on the flight line. The Fighterbomber account on Telegram, which is closely connected to the Russian military, also reported the destruction of the A-60.
Russian aviation-linked channel Fighterbomber confirms the A-60 laser lab aircraft was destroyed in the Taganrog strike. The plane reportedly hadn’t flown since 2016 and was claimed abandoned. About 50 drones and three missiles hit the airfield. While they claim no losses to… pic.twitter.com/NuZ9mzPFvl
Subsequent satellite imagery of the airfield confirms that, as well as the A-60, clearly identified by its signature tail-section hump, another aircraft was also destroyed. This may have been an A-100 AEW&C platform, or more likely, the A-100LL test aircraft related to the same program, evidenced by the rear-fuselage supports for the main radome, which is not fitted. Meanwhile, damage is also visible to buildings associated with the Beriev facility.
In addition to the A-60 flying laboratory, a regular Ilysuhin Il-76 transport plane was also destroyed as a result of Ukrainian strikes on the Taganrog Yuzhny Air Base last night.
— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) November 25, 2025
FIRMS data confirms two separate fires in Taganrog after yesterday’s Ukrainian drone/missile attacks, one at the Beriev Aircraft Company and one, likely, at industrial interprise Natek-Neftekhimmash, manufacturing heating equipment. https://t.co/JPgO7NIdUZpic.twitter.com/gYf4QOvE15
The strike on Taganrog/Tsentralnyy was part of a wider series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets in Krasnodar Krai and the Rostov region overnight. Local officials and Telegram news channels reported that key military infrastructure was among the targets.
The governor of the Rostov region, Yury Slyusar, also confirmed an attack on Taganrog, but did not mention the specific target. According to Slyusar, Ukrainian attacks in the region damaged several homes, a warehouse, and an external gas pipeline. He also said three people were killed and eight people were injured in the attack.
Taganrog/Tsentralnyy, which is co-located with the Taganrog-Yuzhny military airfield, is the main facility of the Beriev Aircraft Company. While best known for its amphibious aircraft designs, Beriev is also responsible for converting special-purpose aircraft, among them the A-50 and A-100 AEW&C platforms and the A-60. Beriev also uses this facility to conduct deep maintenance of Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic missile carriers as well as Tu-142 Bear-F/J long-range maritime patrol aircraft. This also makes it a prime target for Ukraine.
The prototype A-100 airborne early warning and control aircraft. Rostec
As we have discussed in the past, the A-60 was originally developed by the Soviet Union starting in the mid-1970s as a way of combating high-altitude balloons. It was fitted with the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser gun, thus creating the Dreyf (Drift) system for combating aerostats.
The first experimental A-60 took to the air in 1981. The aircraft’s laser was housed in the cargo hold. On the fuselage spine, there was a large fairing covering a mirror system, which directed the laser ray onto the target. The laser had a range of 25 miles and was able to ‘shoot’ for a total of 50 seconds, at least according to the design specification; reportedly, the actual firing time was only 11 seconds.
An early study for the Dreyf airborne combat laser system. NPO Almaz
The targeting system consisted of a Ladoga radar with an upward-directed five-foot-diameter Cassegrain antenna fitted under a large bulbous fairing in the aircraft’s nose and a laser locator. A balloon could be detected and tracked from 31 to 44 miles.
The Ladoga radar for the A-60 aircraft in the museum of the Phazotron-NIIR company in Moscow. Piotr Butowski
During one test in 1984, the A-60 flying at an altitude of 32,800 feet damaged a balloon over the Volsk aerostat research center, 430 miles southeast of Moscow.
In 1988, the first A-60 was destroyed in an accidental fire at the Chkalovsky test airfield near Moscow. In 1991, tests commenced with the second experimental aircraft. After two years, however, the trials were suspended due to a lack of funding. By now, the threat from high-altitude balloons had also evaporated.
According to Piotr Butowski, a long-time Russian aerospace observer and TWZcontributor, Russia revived the A-60 project in late 2002, now with the plan to use the laser gun to ‘blind’ the infrared sensors of reconnaissance satellites.
The A-60 at Beriev’s Taganrog airfield in May 2021. Other aircraft in this photo are an Il-80 airborne command post, a Be-12 amphibian, and a Yak-40K business jet. Google Earth
Flight trials of the reworked second A-60 then resumed around 2006, with the official goal of the program being “to counteract infrared surveillance sensors on the ground, the sea, in the air, and in space.”
In late 2019, Russia’s deputy defense minister Alexsei Krivoruchko said that “work is underway on high-power lasers of various types. It is planned to put it on an airplane in the coming years.”
Dep def minister Alexei Krivoruchko said Krasnaya Zvezda on 28 Dec 2019, “work is underway on high-power lasers of various types. It is planned to put it on an airplane in the coming years”. It is not known whether the A-60 destroyed today was already fitted with a laser gun.
Since then, it’s unclear what, if any, progress the program made, and whether the A-60 that was hit during the attack overnight was actually equipped with a laser weapon.
It is likely that Ukraine was primarily attempting to target Russia’s prized A-50 and A-100 AEW&C aircraft.
These vital assets have already taken a beating during the war in Ukraine, with two examples shot down and another damaged by a drone strike. Russia’s radar plane problems have been exacerbated by difficulties in fielding the new-generation A-100 AEW&C platform, a situation that has led to a proposal to restart production of the A-50. As we have discussed in the past, the viability of relaunching production of these high-value aircraft is questionable, to say the least.
Again? Again! The Ukrainian Air Force destroyed another enemy A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft, worth $330 million.
“These aircraft can provide a unique ‘look-down’ air ‘picture’ that can extend deep into Ukrainian-controlled territory, depending on their patrol zone. From the outset, the A-50 was designed to detect low-level cruise missile attacks, and the same capability means it can potentially spot Ukrainian drone attacks, too, as well as low-flying fighter sorties. They also provide command and control and situational awareness for Russian fighters and air defense batteries. Ukrainian authorities also assess that Russia uses A-50s to help plan and execute its own cruise missile attacks.”
Prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia was estimated to have nine A-50s, including a number of modernized A-50Us, in active service. As it stands, the best-case scenario puts seven of these aircraft in active service as of today.
Provided the other aircraft destroyed overnight was the A-100LL (or even an A-100), then the damage inflicted on the Russian radar plane fleet will have been even more significant. The A-100 program has already been hampered by sanctions and has yielded just one operational-standard aircraft so far. Losing the A-100LL, which has been used to prove the new systems for this aircraft, will likely have a significant effect on the progress of the program.
Aside from Taganrog/Tsentralnyy, overnight Ukrainian drone strikes also occurred in Novorossiysk, in Krasnodar Krai, according to reports from Russian officials and media.
Officials tell me Ukraine’s SBU and GUR and military special forces units attacked the port of Novorossiysk, the second largest oil export center in Russia and the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet with drones overnight. They claim strikes on an oil terminal and Russian… pic.twitter.com/J0s4PMI7Ap
The governor of Krasnodar Krai, Veniamin Kondratyev, said that the region “was subjected to one of the longest and most massive attacks” since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He claimed that six people were injured and at least 20 homes were damaged in the attack.
The Russian news channel Astra reported that a drone struck a high-rise building close to a Russian military unit operating S-400 air defense systems. This was presumably the Kuban Red Banner Regiment military base, which came under a previous Ukrainian drone attack earlier this month.
A video posted to social media by a resident of Novorossiysk showed what appears to be a Russian air defense missile hitting a high-rise building in the city, after failing to intercept an incoming drone.
A video of the moment when a Ukrainian long-range OWA-UAV imapcted a multi-storey residential building in the city of Novorossiysk, southern Russia, tonight.
The drone likely fell off its course due to the work of Russian electronic warfare systems. pic.twitter.com/ZHoUSorV6E
— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) November 24, 2025
Novorossiysk has repeatedly found itself in Ukraine’s sights, its value as a target being derived from its military status, as well as its use as a major transshipment point for oil. The port handles over two million barrels of oil per day, meaning that it’s responsible for roughly five percent of global maritime oil supplies. Meanwhile, the port is also now home to much of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, providing it with something of a safe haven, after its warships were essentially forced out of waters closer to Crimea following a concerted Ukrainian campaign waged against them.
In total, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian forces shot down 116 drones over the Black Sea and 76 over Krasnodar Krai overnight. These claims have not been independently verified.
Ukrainian strikes have repeatedly targeted Russian aircraft at their home bases deep inside the country, as well as in occupied Crimea. Most dramatically, Operation Spiderweb, the large-scale Ukrainian drone strike against airbases across Russia in June of this year, targeted Moscow’s fleet of strategic bombers. On that occasion, a reported 117 drones were launched against at least four airfields.
While the full results of the overnight attack on the airfield at Taganrog/Tsentralnyy remain unclear, it seems that, at the very least, Russia’s sole A-60 and another aircraft were put out of action. Since the status of the A-60 program remains mysterious, its long-term effect is hard to determine. The damage to the A-100 program will likely be a harder blow, especially in the short term. Regardless, the A-60 and the A-100LL were both unique assets, and their losses will be hard, if not impossible, for Russia to replace anytime soon.
Sir Tim told The Sun: “We are looking at it. There are probably 100 to 200 franchise partnerships in the UK.
“Now it’s a question of going abroad and it’s a possibility.”
He admitted the pubs would be in popular Spanish spots like Benidorm, Majorca and Alicante, but didn’t rule out opening in winter sun destinations as well.
It comes after Wetherspoons recently announced plans for four more pubs at a number of Haven holiday parks across the country.
HE’S a happily married dad of two but Olly Murs is still a lad at heart and he wanted his new album to reflect that fun part of his personality.
And by laddish, the upbeat singer means a good old-fashioned knees up — the title of his eighth record.
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Olly Murs has been influenced by Madness and The SpecialsCredit: Matt HolyoakOlly on stage at Wembley before the Women’s FA Cup Final this yearCredit: Getty
“There’s always a moment to be a lad, right?” he laughs. “And that’s what this album is about — I’m going back to my roots.
“This was probably the kind of album that I wanted to launch my career with, but I didn’t.
“For a long time, I was making records for other people, my fans and what I thought they wanted to hear.
“He’s such a good baby and he sleeps, which is important because I need sleep.
“If sleeping was an Olympic sport, I’d be there.
“Maybe he takes after me.
“We’ve been blessed so far after ten weeks.
“He’s giggling, he doesn’t really cry.
“He had his vaccines this week which were horrible.
“I had to cancel work yesterday because [his wife] Amelia did it with [daughter] Madi and I never did, so I wanted to be there.
“Bless him, he wasn’t in a good place, he was proper aggy.
“So, I cancelled a bit of work, which is unlike me, but family comes first.”
For years, Murs put his career first and everything — and everyone — else came a distant second.
“Now life is very different,” he tells me.
“Now Amelia and the kids are everything and my career is still there, but I have a different way of looking at life — and I love it.”
He has no expectations for the new album, which makes the prospect of putting it out even more exciting.
He says: “I’m out here doing my thing, and if people like it, great. If you don’t, it is what it is.
“I’m just happy doing my thing.
“I’ve got to a point where I want to try different things and musically this isn’t too far away from what I’ve done before – it feels authentic to me, and I’m enjoying it.
“I’ve got to tell myself that more, because there is the other side of me that’s the ego.
“I want a number one, I want that trophy.
“I want that plaque on the wall. And I’ve got to keep that desire, otherwise, what’s the point?
“I want things to matter. Of course, I do.
“My thing is that I don’t sit in one place.
“My unique selling point is that I can jump on radio or TV and present a show, and at the same time, I can release music and have success and also tour the country.
Caroline was a good friend and she took her own life. The documentary has come out this week so it’s been difficult. It has brought things back.
Olly on Caroline Flack
“There is a uniqueness with me that I am proud of.”
Knees Up draws heavily on the ska and pop influences of Madness and The Specials, the bands Murs adored as a kid.
He says: “When I first started, I was asked to list all the songs I liked if I was to make the best album ever.
“It was The Specials, Madness, a bit of Stevie Wonder, The Kooks who were my favourite band at the time, Robbie Williams and Paolo Nutini.
“Save Me, the first song on the album is very Madness and that spearheaded which direction the music went in.
“This could be an album Heart Skips A Beat fits on.”
There’s plenty of fun moments on the album.
Still Getting Used To The Ring is a mischievous song about settling into marriage.
“That song is definitely the cheeky side of me,” laughs Murs.
“It came from a lyric I wrote on my phone.
“Sometimes when I’m writing songs, I will say to co-writers Ed Drewett and James New, ‘If I sing that the Mrs won’t be happy’, but then we’ll write it in a sense that I’m still getting used to being a husband, I’m still getting used to being dad.
“So, I forget to do the little things and I might not be perfect, but I’m still getting used to the ring.”
When it comes to choosing a favourite from Knees Up, Murs says Honest is the one he keeps coming back to.
Olly says his new album is the one he’s always wanted to make, creating it for himself rather than doing what he thought people wanted to hearThe star has revealed he needs a little ‘me time’ so won’t be performing many gigs for a while after he headlines Kentish Town Forum on December 8Credit: Getty
“Honest for me is every bloke’s nightmare,” he explains.
“It’s about when they walk in from a day at work and they just know that there’s a cloud upon the house.
“There’s been times when I’ve got home and I just know that Amelia is annoyed about something I’ve done — but I don’t know what that is.
“The song is about not knowing what you have done wrong.
“That song was fun to write.”
Cut To The Chase, which Murs jokingly calls “my sexy song”, sees him tapping into a flirtier, more confident vibe.
He says: “It is about how sometimes in life we are busy and with kids we don’t get any intimacy or moments together.
“It’s about the cut to the chase which really resonated with me as we are always crossing paths.
“It is also a fun song to sing and when I played it to Amelia she loved it.
“She also thinks my fans will love that one, because it’s ‘big bandy’.
“It’s got the brass and is very old school London with ukulele and banjo in it.
“Like music from an old gentlemen’s club, or a cool bar with fancy tables.
“It’s got a very classic feel to it.
“Classic AND classy — you’d never know it was about sex.”
I’ve done a lot of tours in the last three years and I’ve got married. I’m now on Heart radio station every Saturday with Wrighty [Mark Wright], I’ve written an album and I just think I need a bit of time for me.
Olly on why he might not be doing many gigs for a while
Chin Up, the song that closes the album, carries a more serious tone.
Murs says: “That’s about mental health and to do with what I went through with some friends in the last year.
“It’s been a tough year for a lot of my friends who have reached out to me to chat and that song came from that.
‘Her feelgood vibe’
“That song is about encouraging men to speak out and talk. And when we were writing it, we felt it was important to keep your chin up and everything is going to be fine.
“I went to a charity dads’ club recently for a TV show — it was a Sunday club at a school where all the dads can turn up with their kids once a month and they play games and have a couple of hours together.
“It’s important, because a lot of dads go to work in the week as of course woman do too, but it’s important for dads to come along and meet other dads and feel like they’ve got a group.
“One guy was telling me about the positives but also that they’d lost one guy to suicide.
“A dad had taken his own life. And it really hit me.
“So I’m glad I’ve written that song and hopefully it can help someone.”
The subject is clearly a personal one for Murs, and it leads him to think about a loss closer to home, that of TV presenter Caroline Flack, who died in 2020.
The documentary Search For The Truth by her mum Christine premiered on Disney+ this week.
“Caroline was a good friend and she took her own life. The documentary has come out this week so it’s been difficult,” he says, the emotion clear.
“It has brought things back.
“I try and always remember the positive things with Caz.
“I don’t try and think too much about the negative stuff, because if I do, I go down a rabbit hole of emotions, and unfortunately, it’s not going to bring her back.
“I just remember her laugh, her jokes and her feelgood vibe.
“I wish she was still here, of course, and it hurts to watch her old shows.”
A different loss felt by Murs is that of his estranged twin brother Ben, who cut himself off from Murs and his parents when the singer missed Ben’s wedding in 2009 to perform in the live semi-finals of The X Factor.
‘Always on the go’
Murs says: “I’m proud of Ben.
“I don’t see him, but I’m proud of him.
“There isn’t any bitterness or anger there.
“I’m just really proud of where my career is, and from what I hear, Ben’s doing great too, and that’s all I care about.
“We’re older men now, we’re in our 40s, so I’m sure at some point we’ll figure it out.”
Next month Murs plays a London show to celebrate the new album and he is excited about what might be his only gig in a while.
He says: “The truth is I don’t even know what I’m doing next year.
“I don’t even know if I’m ever going to tour this album properly.
Olly Murs says family now comes first, with his career fitting around life at homeCredit: Getty
“I’m doing this show at Kentish Town Forum and it might even be the only one I do for this album.
“I’ve done a lot of tours in the last three years and I’ve got married.
“I’m now on Heart radio station every Saturday with Wrighty [Mark Wright], I’ve written an album and I just think I need a bit of time for me.”
“But then I’m always on the go and I like that.
“I don’t know what I’m doing next — I’ve got plans and ideas but I’m just going to see what happens.
