India’s stealth warship launched in Russia
The warship, named Tushil, is part of an over $2.5-billion deal with Russia for four more Krivak/Talwar class stealth frigates for the Indian Navy
The Indian Navy’s latest frigate was on Thursday launched at Russia’s Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, as Russia prepares to deliver two new warships to India in 2023, adding significant capability to the navy for projecting power in the Indian Ocean Region where the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is seeking to enhance its presence, officials familiar with the developments said on Friday.
The warship’s launch marks a significant milestone in its construction and refers to the ship entering water for the first time.
The warship, named Tushil, is part of an over $2.5-billion deal with Russia for four more Krivak/Talwar class stealth frigates for the Indian Navy, two of which are being constructed at the Yantar Shipyard and the remaining two will be built at the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) with technology transfer from Russia, which is India’s top arms supplier, said one of the officials cited above. Tushil is expected to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in mid-2023 followed by its sister ship in 2023-end, said a second official.
The construction of these ships is based on the Indian Navy’s specific requirements to meet the entire spectrum of naval warfare in air, surface and sub-surface domains. “The ships with a potent combination of state-of-art Indian and Russian weapons and sensors are equipped to operate in littoral (near the shores) and blue waters, both as a single unit and as consort in a naval task force,” the Navy said in a statement.
The warships feature stealth technology and have low radar and underwater noise signatures, besides being equipped with Indian-supplied equipment such as surface-to-surface missiles, sonar system, surface surveillance radar, communication suite and anti-submarine warfare systems along with Russian surface-to-air missiles and gun mounts, the navy added.
The navy currently operates six stealth frigates — three Talwar class and three Teg class — bought from Russia and inducted between 2003 and 2013.
The new Grigorovich-class ‘Project 1135.6’ frigates will be powered by gas turbine engines supplied by Ukrainian firm Ukroboronprom’s Gas Turbine Research & Production Complex Zorya-Mashproekt.
“The four new frigates will be armed with cutting-edge technologies, weapons and sensors that will pack a significant punch,” said former GSL chairman Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital (retd), who is now a member of the Public Enterprises Selection Board that advises the Centre on top appointments to public sector enterprises.
