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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
How Ukraine carried out audacious Operation Spiderweb strike on Russia
Analysis: The operation combined tactics and technology in a way that existing systems could not prevent the attack or maybe even see it coming By Michael A. Lewis, University of Bath Ukrainians are celebrating the success of one of the most audacious coups of the war against Russia – a coordinated drone strike on June 1 on five airbases deep inside Russian territory. Known as Operation Spiderweb, it was the result of 18 months of planning and involved the smuggling of drones into Russia, synchronised launch timings and improvised control centres hidden inside freight vehicles. Ukrainian sources claim more than 40 Russian aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Commercial satellite imagery confirms significant fire damage, cratered runways, and blast patterns across multiple sites, although the full extent of losses remains disputed. The targets were strategic bomber aircraft and surveillance planes, including Tu-95s and A-50 airborne early warning systems. The drones were launched from inside Russia and navigated at treetop level using line-of-sight piloting and GPS pre-programming. Each was controlled from a mobile ground station parked within striking distance of the target. It is reported that a total of 117 drones were deployed across five locations. While many were likely intercepted, or fell short, enough reached their targets to signal a dramatic breach in Russia's rear-area defence. From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Ukraine stages major drone attack on Russian aircraft The drone platforms themselves were familiar. These were adapted first-person-view (FPV) multirotor drones. These are ones where the operator gets a first-person perspective from the drone's onboard camera. These are already used in huge numbers along the front lines in Ukraine by both sides. But Operation Spiderweb extended their impact through logistical infiltration and timing. Nations treat their airspace as sovereign, a controlled environment: mapped, regulated and watched over. Air defence systems are built on the assumption that threats come from above and from beyond national borders. Detection and response also reflect that logic. It is focused on mid and high-altitude surveillance and approach paths from beyond national borders. But Operation Spiderweb exposed what happens when states are attacked from below and from within. In low-level airspace, visibility drops, responsibility fragments, and detection tools lose their edge. Drones arrive unannounced, response times lag, coordination breaks. From RTÉ News, Ukraine says it destroyed more than 40 Russian bomber planes in drone strike Spiderweb worked not because of what each drone could do individually, but because of how the operation was designed. It was secret and carefully planned of course, but also mobile, flexible and loosely coordinated. The cost of each drone was low but the overall effect was high. This isn't just asymmetric warfare, it's a different kind of offensive capability – and any defence needs to adapt accordingly. On Ukraine's front lines, where drone threats are constant, both sides have adapted by deploying layers of detection tools, short range air defences and jamming systems. In turn, drone operators have turned to alternatives. One option is drones that use spools of shielded fibre optic cable. The cable is attached to the drone at one end and to the controller held by the operator at the other. Another option involves drones with preloaded flight paths to avoid detection. Fibre links, when used for control or coordination, emit no radio signal and so bypass radio frequency (RF) -based surveillance entirely. There is nothing to intercept or jam. Preloaded paths remove the need for live communication altogether. Once launched, the drone follows a pre-programmed route without broadcasting its position or receiving commands. As a result, airspace is never assumed to be secure but is instead understood to be actively contested and requiring continuous management. By contrast, Operation Spiderweb targeted rear area airbases where more limited adaptive systems existed. The drones flew low, through unmonitored gaps, exploiting assumptions about what kind of threat was faced and from where. Spiderweb is not the first long-range drone operation of this war, nor the first to exploit gaps in Russian defences. What Spiderweb confirms is that the gaps in airspace can be used by any party with enough planning and the right technology. They can be exploited not just by states and not just in war. The technology is not rare and the tactics are not complicated. What Ukraine did was to combine them in a way that existing systems could not prevent the attack or maybe even see it coming. This is far from a uniquely Russian vulnerability – it is the defining governance challenge of drones in low level airspace. Civil and military airspace management relies on the idea that flight paths are knowable and can be secured. In our work on UK drone regulation, we have described low level airspace as acting like a common pool resource. This means that airspace is widely accessible. It is also difficult to keep out drones with unpredictable flightpaths. Under this vision of airspace, it can only be meaningfully governed by more agile and distributed decision making. Operation Spiderweb confirms that military airspace behaves in a similar way. Centralised systems to govern airspace can struggle to cope with what happens at the scale of the Ukrainian attacks – and the cost of failure can be strategic. Improving low-level airspace governance will require better technologies, better detection and faster responses. New sensor technologies such as passive radio frequency detectors, thermal imaging, and acoustic (sound-based) arrays can help close current visibility gaps, especially when combined. But detection alone is not enough. Interceptors including capture drones (drones that hunt and disable other drones), nets to ensnare drones, and directed energy weapons such as high powered lasers are being developed and trialled. However, most of these are limited by range, cost, or legal constraints. Nevertheless, airspace is being reshaped by new forms of access, use and improvisation. Institutions built around centralised ideas of control; air corridors, zones, and licensing are being outpaced. Security responses are struggling to adapt to the fact that airspace with drones is different. It is no longer passively governed by altitude and authority. It must be actively and differently managed. Operation Spiderweb didn't just reveal how Ukraine could strike deep into Russian territory. It showed how little margin for error there is in a world where cheap systems can be used quietly and precisely. That is not just a military challenge. It is a problem where airspace management depends less on central control and more on distributed coordination, shared monitoring and responsive intervention. The absence of these conditions is what Spiderweb exploited.
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Exercise helps maintain vitamin D levels in winter without supplements
Exercise is the key to maintaining vitamin D levels in winter, a study suggests. Regular, moderate-intensity exercise helps maintain crucial vitamin D levels during the darker months – even without weight loss or supplements. Researchers found that overweight and obese adults who completed a 10-week indoor exercise programme over winter experienced significantly smaller drops in vitamin D levels compared with those who did not exercise, even though their body weight was deliberately maintained. More than 50 people took part in four sessions per week of two treadmill walks, one longer steady-state bike ride, and one high-intensity interval bike session. Exercise helps maintain vitamin D levels in winter without supplements, according to scientists (James Manning/PA) Exercise completely preserved the body's active form of vitamin D, which plays a key role in supporting bone health, the immune system, and various organs. Previous studies suggest that vitamin D supplements alone do not help maintain this active form. The small-scale study was led by academics from the University of Bath, University of Birmingham and University of Cambridge. Lead author Dr Oly Perkin, from the University of Bath, said: 'This is the first study to show that exercise alone can protect against the winter dip in vitamin D. 'It's a powerful reminder that we still have lots to learn about how exercise benefits our health.' People who exercised saw a smaller drop in their overall vitamin D levels over winter of around 15%, compared with a 25% drop in those who did not exercise. Those who exercised kept healthy levels of the active form of vitamin D, which helps support the immune system and bone health. In the non-exercising group, levels of this active form fell by 15%. Weight was kept stable throughout the study, proving the effect was due to exercise, not weight loss. To ensure sunlight did not skew results, the study ran between October and April – when natural vitamin D production from sunlight is minimal in this part of the UK – and participants were asked to avoid supplements. A previous study from the team showed that a single workout can briefly boost vitamin D levels, but this is the first to show that regular cardio exercise can maintain basal circulating vitamin D levels and offer lasting protection during the winter months. Exercise gives you a double benefit to your vitamin D, first in and around each exercise bout, and second through changing your baseline levels Principal investigator Professor Dylan Thompson, from the University of Bath, said: 'Collectively, the findings from the VitaDEx project show that exercise increases the concentrations of vitamin D metabolites each time you are active and, on top of this, doing regular activity helps to maintain your basal resting levels of vitamin D during winter. 'This means exercise gives you a double benefit to your vitamin D, first in and around each exercise bout, and second through changing your baseline levels.' The study offers compelling evidence that exercise could be an effective winter vitamin D strategy, especially for those who are overweight or obese for whom vitamin D supplements are less effective. Liam Kilawee, who took part in the study, said: 'I was impressed on how thorough the process was and how the team engaged with me during research period. 'The results were pleasing as I could see that my actions had a positive reaction.' – The study, Exercise without Weight Loss Prevents Seasonal Decline in Vitamin D Metabolites: The VitaDEx Randomised Controlled Trial, is published in the journal Advanced Science.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Uni 'sorry' for not allowing enough time for exam
A university has apologised after students sitting a three-hour physics exam were only given two hours to complete it. The University of Bath said an "administrative error" meant first-year students sitting the Foundations of Physics exam on Tuesday had an hour less. They added the issue was identified shortly before the start of the exam, but said subsequent room bookings meant it was not possible to extend the session. Head of the university's physics department, Professor Ventsislav Valev, said: "We are deeply sorry for the confusion and concern this has caused." She continued: "Our priority is to ensure that no student is disadvantaged. We are reviewing our processes to ensure such an error does not occur again." A University of Bath spokesperson added results of all assessments are "considered and finalised" by Boards of Examiners but students would be continued to be supported. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. WJEC apologises after exam paper blunder Students' anger as in-person exams reintroduced
Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Robots are taking over thanks to one major society change
Once the preserve of science fiction, household robots are slowly becoming part of everyday life Household robots are booming - thanks to millennials. A new report has revealed our mechanical friends are increasingly taking on our household chores with sales of robot vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers on the up. Aviva's latest 'How We Live' report shows how one in ten homes owns a robot vacuum cleaner and a further one in seven plans to buy one this year, meaning they are likely to be the most in-demand technology item of 2025. The report puts the boom down to young people being keen to make their lives easier with robots being most popular with those aged 25 to 34. It is estimated nearly one in five people in this age category already owns one and a further one in four plans to purchase one in the next 12 months, it says. The performance of robot vacuum cleaners has improved noticeably in recent years. Just last month scientists revealed they had reprogrammed a robot vacuum cleaner to help charge a phone and assist in a home workout because they think the machines are currently too 'idle'. Boffins from the University of Bath say the increasingly popular domestic appliances are, on average, in use for less than two hours per day, but could be working considerably harder - with some modifications. To prove their point, they retrained a Roomba device to carry out a range of other chores, and outlined many more possible tasks it could do such as playing with a cat and watering the plants. Such robots 'are perceived as limited, single-task devices but there is a strong argument that they are under-used for practical tasks', said Yoshiaki Shiokawa, the author of the study, external. The global household robots market size was valued at $10.3bn (£7.7bn) in 2023 and is anticipated to hit $24.5bn (£18.4) by 2028, meaning such devices are an increasingly common sight in people's homes. The latest models use light detection and ranging technology and cameras to build a map of their surroundings while tracking their position to ensure better cleaning. British consumers spent more than £300 million on robot lawn mowers last year, and the market is expected to more than double over the next five years as new technology further improves the performance of the devices. Other popular technologies include wireless charging stations and security systems. Almost one in three homes have installed smart doorbells and a similar proportion have smart security cameras linked to their phones. Hannah Davidson, of Aviva, said: 'Robotics and smart homes are changing the way we live, offering convenience and security like never before.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New study reveals unexpected side effects of London's clean air policies: 'Making the case for ... initiatives stronger than ever'
Londoners are breathing easier, according to new research from the University of Bath. The study, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, revealed that Greater London's clean air regulations are not only helping clear the air but also improving public health and saving the city money. London implemented the Low Emission Zone in 2008 and the Ultra Low Emission Zone in 2019. After analyzing more than a decade's worth of data, researchers discovered these clean air zones had slashed the amount of harmful pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, in the areas. In that time, Greater London had 18.5% fewer employees take sick leave, with residents also reporting they were happier, less anxious, and enjoying their lives more. Respiratory illnesses were down just over 10%, and there was a nearly 7% decline in health problems. Thanks to these improvements, the zones are estimated to be saving the city over £37 million each year in public health costs. And not only does the policy improve public health, but reduced air pollution can also help slow down rising global temperatures fueled by the reliance on dirty energy, which are contributing to more extreme weather events such as wildfires and droughts. "These policies are not just environmental wins," said professor Eleonora Fichera of the Department of Economics. "They're also reducing labor market absenteeism and improving Londoners' life satisfaction. Clean air makes for healthier, happier, more productive communities." With so many concerning headlines linking pollution to unhealthy and unhappy communities, this is evidence that policy changes can make a big difference. Many studies have found smart city planning, such as expanding green spaces and making neighborhoods more walkable, can boost community health. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution leads to over 4 million premature deaths each year around the world. These findings offer a compelling case for rolling out similar policies globally, especially in cities with dense populations. "Clean air policy is smart policy," lead researcher Habtamu Beshir added. "It protects health, saves money, and enhances quality of life — making the case for clean air initiatives stronger than ever." Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
