Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 9 commissioned the Indian Navy’s latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate, the INS Tushil, at Yantar Shipyard in Russia’s Kaliningrad.
The ship is a big proof of the collaborative prowess of Russian and Indian industries.
About INS Tushil
The INS Tushil is an upgraded Krivak-III class frigate under Project 1135.6, with six vessels of the class already in service with the Indian Navy.
The six ships include three Talwar-class vessels, built at the Baltiysky Shipyard in Russia’s St Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg-class vessels, built at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad.
The INS Tushil, the seventh in the series, is the first of two upgraded additional follow-on ships.
INS Tushil is the first of the two additional follow-on ships under construction in Russia. In October 2016, India and Russia signed a deal for four stealth frigates, two to be built in Russia and two to be constructed at Goa Shipyard Limited under technology transfer.
The second frigate Tamal is expected to be delivered to Indian Navy in Russia in the first quarter of next year.
The INS Tushil is a 125-metre-long, 3,900-tonne ship, packing a lethal punch and “an impressive blend of Russian and Indian cutting-edge technologies and best practices in warship construction.
Upon commissioning, the INS Tushil will join the “Sword Arm of the Indian Navy”, the Western Fleet, under the Western Naval Command.
The ship’s name, Tushil, means “the protector shield”, and its crest represents the “Abhedya Kavacham (impenetrable shield).
