수송기 A400M은 위험 지역 야간 착륙 잘하지만 변속기 신뢰성에 문제 있다

[백선호]

6월 28일 영국 의회에서 RUSI의 Justin Bronk와 어떤 하원의원이 한 얘기입니다.

작년 아프가니스탄 카불에서 철수할 때 A400M이 밤에 조명 꺼진 활주로에 NVG 없이 안전하게 이착륙할 수 있는 (영국공군의?) 유일한 수송 수단이었다고 하네요. 활주로 주변 지역은 환하게 불이 켜져 있지만 활주로만 불이 꺼진 곳에 NVG 쓰고 착륙하려면 잘 보이지 않는다고 합니다.

그리고 A400M은 밤이나 잘 보이지 않을 때 계곡으로 둘러싸인 활주로에 접근하며 'create its own radar instrument landing approach'할 수 있다고 합니다.

It is also worth noting that, at the end of the Afghanistan withdrawal in Kabul, specifically at night when the threat to the aircraft was much higher, the A400 was the only thing capable of going in and out safely because it had the ability to do non-illuminated approaches and departures at night without using NVGs. Night-vision goggles are brilliant if there is not much ambient light, but, if you are trying to land on a dark strip in the middle of a lit-up city, they do not really work.

In Kabul, A400M was the thing doing the really high-end extractions when the threat was up at the end. It is also worth remembering it can do things like create its own radar instrument landing approach on to a hill strip, for example, when there is zero visibility or at night, which the C-130 cannot, so it can get into some places that a C-130 could not under certain conditions.

반면 A400M의 엔진과 변속기는 컴퓨터로 설계하며 시뮬레이션할 때는 완벽하게 작동했는데 실제로 만들어 써 보니 그렇지 않다고 합니다. 변속기의 부품들이 계속 과도한 열을 받아 타버리는 모양입니다.

We asked, “What is the real problem with the engine and the gearbox?” A Rolls Royce technician said, “When they designed it on a computer, it worked perfectly. When they built it, it didn’t.” The components in the gearbox keep burning themselves out, so they are forever having to take the engines, put them through deep maintenance and rebuild the gearboxes.

그리고 Justin Bronk는 동유럽에서 러시아와 싸울 때 (미국 없는 NATO가?) 제공권을 잡을 수 있을지 없을지도 잘 모르는데 동유럽의 전장으로 병력을 보낼 수송기 걱정을 왜 하냐고 반문합니다. 수송기에 의한 병력 수송은 제공권을 완전히 잡은 다음에나 하는 것이라고.

However, if the primary role of the RAF is to obtain and secure control of the air over contested airspace over your allies, for example, in eastern Europe, you cannot do that at the moment. I would therefore say that almost anything else is a luxury until you can do that. If you cannot obtain control of the air, none of the rest of your capabilities is particularly useful. While you might get things to theatre more quickly in an air mobility context than taking it by road or rail, if you cannot obtain air superiority and use it, your force design does not work as a whole in high-intensity combat.