잠수함 러시아의 특수목적 잠수함 전력

[위종민]

https://news.usni.org/2021/11/30/russia-growing-secret-submarine-fleet-key-to-moscows-undersea-future

Russia's Growing Secret Submarine Fleet Key to Moscow's Undersea Future - USNI News

러시아는 해저 전투(seabed warfare) 및 수중첩보 수집용 특수목적 잠수함을 운용하고 전력을 확장중인 유일한 국가입니다. 미국도 이런 임무를 실시하긴 하지만 일반임무도 수행 가능한 다목적 잠수함을 이용하지요. 

러시아는 침몰물자 강탈(wreck plundering)을 비롯한 해저임무를 수행하기 위해 심해잠수정 1, 2대를 수용가능한 대형 잠수함 2척을 운용중입니다. 델타IV 스트레치형인 BS-64는 미해군의 오하이오급보다도 크며, 이보다 더 큰 타이푼급에 이은 세계에서 두 번째로 큰 잠수모함 벨고로드가 6월에 해상시험을 실시한 후 곧 취역 예정입니다. 

이 잠수함들은 심해조사 지도부(Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, GUGI) 소속으로 수중통신 및 센서네트워크 감청, 탄화수소 채집, 잠수함구조 및 침몰물자 조사 등의 임무를 수행하는 것으로 보입니다. 이런 투자에도 불구하고 GUGI는 러시아 해군이 겪어왔던 유사한 문제를 겪었고, 2000년 쿠르스크 침몰에 이어 2005년 유사한 사고가 발생했을 땐 영국의 도움을 요청할 수밖에 없었습니다. 

냉전시기 미르급 심해잠수정이 핀란드에서 건조되는 등 주요 시스템이 서방제에서 도입되기도 했지만, 냉전종료와 함께 그 정도가 더 커지고 있습니다. 최근엔 영국에서 원격조종잠수정이 도입됐는데, 이 잠수정들은 원유탐사 등에도 쓰이지만 아르헨티나의 침몰한 잠수함인 산후안 함을 찾는데 쓰이기도 했습니다.

2019년엔 심해잠수정 로샤리크함이 배터리 화재를 겪기도 했는데, 카펠라 스페이스에서 공개한 최신 이미지에 의하면 로샤리크함은 꽤 오랜 시간 동안 세베로드빈스크항에서 물 밖으로 꺼내져 있었습니다. 아마도 지금은 장기간 작업을 위해 작업소로 옮겨졌을 것으로 보이며 그 자리를 대체하기 위해 구형 유니폼급 잠수함을 개조할 수도 있다는 소문이 있습니다. 이 잠수함은 심해잠수 능력을 갖췄으나 잠수모함에 실려 장거리를 이동할 수 있는 능력은 없기 때문에 이 방안이 얼마나 실용적인지, 비용 대 효과가 적절한 지는 불분명합니다. 

이 잠수함 부대들은 북극권의 콜라 반도에 집중 배치돼 있으며, 지중해까지 작전범위에 넣을 수 있습니다. GUGI는 잠수함 외에 얀타르함 등의 특수목적 수상함도 운용중입니다. 매체에선 종종 스파이함으로도 불리며 러시아에선 연구함으로 불리는 이 배는 유인심해잠수정 및 원격조종잠수정 운영이 가능합니다. 얀타르 함은 인터넷 케이블 및 기타 인프라망 근처를 배회하는 것이 목격되곤 하며, 최근에는 주로 아일랜드 주변에서 목격되곤 하나 북극권, 지중해, 페르시아만에서도 활동한 바 있습니다.  과거엔 지중해에서 항모작전 도중 추락한 러시아 해군기가 침몰한 위치에서 작업하는 모습이 목격되기도 했습니다. 

공개된 정보에 의하면 지중해에서 영국해군의 F-35가 추락했을 때 얀타르 함은 콜라 반도의 올레냐 구바에 위치한 GUGI의 기지에 정박해 있었습니다. 이 배는 지난 주 출항했지만 현재 위치는 불분명합니다. 콜라 반도에서 지중해까지는 오랜 시간이 걸립니다. 만약 러시아가 추락한 F-35를 조사하기 위해 조사선을 파견했다면 그 후보는 흑해에 정박한, 얀타르 함보다 소형인 라도가 함이 유력하나 이 배 또한 지중해에서 목격되지 않았습니다. 

Russia's Growing Secret Submarine Fleet Key to Moscow's Undersea Future - USNI News

November 30, 2021 3:47 PM

H I Sutton Image used with permission

Tensions between Washington and Moscow are rising with a marked increase in competition in the undersea domain, as Russia continues to invest in a fleet of specialized submarines.

Russia is the only country with a fleet of special mission subs for seabed warfare and espionage and is expanding the capability. Other countries, like the U.S., also work well in this arena and have specialist capabilities, but these capabilities reside on multi-mission platforms.

Russia’s fleet includes two massive submarine motherships that each carry one or two deep-diving submersibles. These can be employed for covert seabed missions, including wreck plundering. The largest of these is BS-64, a stretched DELTA-IV-class submarine. This is one of the largest submarines in the world – bigger than the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class nuclear ballistic nuclear submarine. It will be joined by an even larger mothership, Belgorod, which conducted sea trials in June. This is second only to the 30,000-ton Typhoon class in terms of size.

H I Sutton Image used with permission

The size and complexity of the specialized submarine force speaks to the importance and investment that Russia places on these capabilities. The deep-diving submersibles are operated on several nuclear-powered vessels. Three of them, two Paltus-class boats, and the better known Losharik, are compatible with BS-64.

These submarines are operated for the Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research. This is generally known by the Russian acronym GUGI, (Glavnoye Upravleniye Glubokovodnykh Issledovaniy). Missions are believed to include work on undersea communications and sensor networks, hydrocarbon exploitation, submarine rescue and investigating wreckage.

Despite this investment, the GUGI fleet has suffered in a similar way to most of the Russian Navy and was unable to aid in key submarine crises.

A cutaway rendering of the Losharik (AS-12) submersible used with permission. H I Sutton Image

In 2000, when Russian submarine Kursk was lost, Russia seemed unable to employ its once-extensive rescue capability. This happened again in 2005 when a Russian submersible, which was being used for seabed work that GUGI’s specialist submarines typically perform, needed rescuing. The Russians then had to turn to the British for assistance.

Many systems and key technologies have been sourced from the West. Starting during the Cold War, but increasing during the time when Russia enjoyed better relations with the West, they acquired key seabed warfare technologies. Typically these technologies dual-use, and they only form part of the wider capability. The first of note were the Mir-class deep-diving submersibles built in Finland during the Cold War. More recently, they include Remote Operated Vehicles from the United Kingdom. These can be used in oil exploration, but Russia also employed one to help search for the sunken Argentinean submarine San Juan.

Although the luck of the Russian Navy has improved since the low point of the 2000s, GUGI capability still suffers uncertainty. More recently, Losharik suffered a fatal battery fire in 2019 and had to be taken for repairs.

Based on the latest imagery from Capella Space, Losharik has been sitting out of the water in Severodvinsk for some time. It is likely it has now been moved into a shed for work over the winter. In her stead, it was reported, that Russia may modify one of the older Uniform-class boats for the tasks. These are similar types of deep-diving submersibles but were not designed to be carried by a mother submarine. It is unclear how practical or cost-effective this would be.

Other GUGI capabilities

Russian Navy ship Yantar in 2017. Photo by Yörük Işık‏

The submarine fleet is concentrated on the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic Circle. The submarines can reach the Mediterranean. In addition to the submarines, GUGI operates specially-equipped surface vessels, including Yantar. Popularly dubbed a spy ship, it is described by Russia as a research vessel. It is equipped with a hangar for extremely deep-diving crewed submersibles and multiple ROVs.Yantar has had a history of loitering near undersea internet cables and similar infrastructure. Most recently it did this off Ireland, but Yantar has also loitered near cables in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Persian Gulf. Twice in the past, it has been observed working above the wreckage of Russian Navy planes that crashed into the Mediterranean during carrier operations.

Based on available open-source intelligence, Yantar was berthed in GUGI’s base at Olenya Guba (Deer Bay) on the Kola Peninsula when the U.K. F-35 went down. The ship left last week, but its whereabouts are currently unclear. It would take the ship a long time to reach the Mediterranean. If Russia has dispatched a special surface vessel to investigate, another ship that is closer to the wreck seems likely. Ladoga, which is like Yantar but smaller, is based in the Black Sea. Yet it, too, does not appear to have raced to the Mediterranean either to support a Russian mission to recover the crashed U.K. F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter.

[백선호]

2019년 추락한 일본 F-35A 잔해는 건졌을라나요?

[위종민]

SCMP 기사인데 포기한 것 같습니다. 건질 수 없을 정도로 깊은 곳에 빠진 건지.. ( https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3009509/us-navy-abandons-salvage-mission-japanese-f-35a-fighter-jet )

스타즈 앤 스트라입스 기사로는 타국이 이 기체를 건지려고 시도하지 않을 거라 예측했다고 하네요. ( https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/officials-dismiss-speculation-that-rival-nations-might-try-to-salvage-downed-japanese-f-35a-1.577387 )