During the course of this week, the Yantar Shipyard announced that the second stealth frigate built in Russia for the Indian Navy is expected to be delivered next year. This vessel is to be named INS Tamal. The announcement comes shortly after the recent delivery of the first stealth frigate for the Indian Navy from the Talwar Batch III class, the INS Tushil, marking the beginning of a fleet of four ships ordered for this variant.
Quoting some official statements, it was Yantar Shipyard’s CEO, Ilya Samarin, who said:“Building warships is the primary activity of the Yantar Shipyard. Regardless of whether the customer is foreign or domestic, we do our job in the same way, faithfully and responsibly. It is no coincidence that this is already the fourth frigate built at our shipyard. We plan to deliver the fifth one next spring.”
His remarks were made during the delivery ceremony of the INS Tushil, which was attended by prominent naval authorities from India. Among them was the Chief of Naval Staff of India, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, who highlighted the partnership between his country and Russia in the construction of vessels that enable the Navy to fulfill its commitments to the security of the Indian Ocean. It is worth noting that the two remaining ships in the class are being built by Goa Shipyard in India, demonstrating the depth of the partnership; the first frigate produced there was launched in July.
Recalling some of the known features of the new frigates, it is worth highlighting that they are stealth ships based on the Project 11356 design of the Russian Navy. The Indian Navy already operates six examples of previous variants. Each of these ships is equipped with a wide range of armaments, including BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Shtil surface-to-air missiles. They are also fitted with a 76mm SRGM gun and two Indigenous Triple Torpedo Launchers (ITTL) for 324mm systems.
In terms of dimensions, the ship has a length of 124.8 meters and an overall beam of 15.2 meters, carrying a displacement of 4,035 tons at full load. These dimensions allow the ship to feature a flight deck capable of accommodating helicopters operated by the force for countering submarine threats and conducting early warning operations, such as the Kamov 28 and Kamov 31. Finally, regarding its propulsion system, the Talwar Batch III frigates are equipped with an advanced gas turbine, enabling speeds of up to 30 knots, with much of their systems already automated to streamline operations.
Images used for illustrative purposes only.
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