Indian Navy boosts capability with two new warships

The navy said INS Tamal is a formidable moving fortress at sea and is designed for blue water operations across the spectrum of naval warfare in all four dimensions

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on Tuesday commissioned its latest stealth multirole frigate, INS Tamal, at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia in the presence of Western Naval Command chief, Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, who said its induction marked a significant milestone in the country’s maritime defence capabilities and Indo-Russian cooperation.

INS Tamal was commissioned at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia, on Tuesday.

It is the last imported warship to be commissioned into service in line with the government’s sharp focus on Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and Make-in-India initiatives.

“INS Tamal is a formidable moving fortress at sea and is designed for blue water operations across the spectrum of naval warfare in all four dimensions --- air, surface, underwater and electromagnetic,” the navy said in a statement. The frigate is expected to reach India’s west coast in September and will form part of the navy’s Mumbai-based Western Fleet, HT learns.

Tamal is the eighth in the series of Krivak class frigates inducted from Russia over the past two decades, and will boost the country’s maritime power in the Indian Ocean region.

Also, the second ship of Project 17A stealth frigate class, Udaygiri, was delivered to the navy in Mumbai on Tuesday, the navy said.

“The commissioning of versatile platforms like INS Tamal enhances the Indian Navy’s reach, responsiveness, and resilience. I am confident that the ship will prove its mettle as a force multiplier in our operational architecture, towards safeguarding national maritime interests and promoting maritime security,” Singh said in his address.

The 3,900-tonne Tamal is part of a $2.5-billion deal with Russia for four more Krivak/Talwar class stealth frigates for the Indian Navy, two of which have been constructed at the Yantar shipyard and the remaining two will be built at Goa Shipyard Limited.

The first frigate under the deal, INS Tushil, was commissioned into the navy last December at the Yantar Shipyard and reached the country in February.

Tushil and Tamal are upgraded Krivak III class frigates of Project 1135.6, and six such vessels are already in service --- three Talwar class ships, built at Baltic shipyard in St Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg class ships, built at the Yantar shipyard.

The latest frigates have an indigenous content of around 26%, double that of the previous Teg-class frigates. This includes contributions from 33 firms including Bharat Electronics Limited, BrahMos Aerospace (an India-Russia joint venture), and Nova Integrated Systems (a fully owned subsidiary of Tata Advanced Systems Limited).

The new frigates are armed with a range of advanced weapons, including the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Shtil surface-to-air missiles with enhanced range, upgraded medium-range anti-air and surface guns, optically controlled close-range rapid fire gun system, torpedoes and rockets.

INS Tamal is manned by a crew of about 250 sailors and 26 officers.

Udaygiri, which is likely to be commissioned into service in August, has been built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). It is the second among the seven P-17A frigates under construction at MDL, Mumbai and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, Kolkata.

The navy inducted the first P-17A class frigate, INS Nilgiri, on January 15, along with INS Vaghsheer, the sixth and final Kalvari-class submarine and Surat, a destroyer --- all built at MDL. It is rare for three major platforms to be commissioned on the same day.

The project is a follow-on of the Shivalik class (P-17) frigates active in service.

P-17A ships have enhanced stealth features and are fitted with modern weapons and sensors, a significant upgrade from the P-17 class, the navy said in another statement. “The ships represent a quantum leap in the Indian Navy’s in-house design capabilities at the Warship Design Bureau. The newly designed ships are also being built employing the philosophy of ‘Integrated Construction’, which involves extensive pre-outfitting at the Block stages to reduce the overall build periods. Udaygiri has been delivered to the Indian Navy, in a record time of 37 months from the date of launching,” it added.