Indian Navy launches 7th P1135.6 class frigate INS Tushil in Russia – Know Key Details

INS Tushil, the 7^th Indian Navy Frigate of P1135.6 class was launched on October 28, 2021, at Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia by Datla Vidya Varma in the presence of Ambassador of India (Moscow) D Bala Venkatesh Varma and other senior dignitaries of the Russian Federation and Indian Navy officials. During the ceremony, Datla Vidya Varma named the ship ‘Tushil’ which is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Protector Shield’.

7th ship of P1135.6 class #Tushil
launched at Yantar Shipyard, #Kaliningrad on 28 Oct 21 by Smt Datla Vidya Varma in presence of Shri D Bala Venkatesh Varma, Ambassador @IndEmbMoscow (1/2). pic.twitter.com/oFzU4Jklip

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) October 28, 2021

INS Tushil, first of two frigates of P1135.6 being built in Russia launched – Key Points

Tushil, the first of the two ships of the Project 1135.6 (also known as Krivak or Talwar class stealth frigates) being built in Russia at Yantar Shipyard for the Indian Navy under the IGA agreement was launched from dry dock into the water.

These two ships that India is purchasing directly from Russia are expected to be delivered by 2023. Of these two, INS Tishul has been launched into waters at the Yantar Shipyard in Russia.

These ships have been designed to work with Ukraine-made gas turbines. Therefore, these ships will be brought to India after completion of construction to be fitted with as turbines at a local yard as New Delhi has placed the order for turbines with Ukraine.

These ships have been constructed based on the Indian Navy’s specific requirements to meet the requisites of naval warfare in all air, sub-surface, and surface methods. The Indian Navy in its statement said that these frigates have been equipped with a combination of state-of-art Indian and Russian weapons and sensors so that they can operate both as a single unit and as a group in a naval task force.

These ships have also been equipped with stealth technology in terms of underwater noise signatures and low radar. These ships include major Indian supplied equipment such as sonar system, Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SAM), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) system, communication suite, surface surveillance radar along with Russian SAMs and gun mounts.

Indian scientists have been visiting Yantar Shipyard during the construction of these two frigates as part of the technology transfer obligations. These visits help them to keep abreast with the construction and the specific requirements of the equipment of these frigates.

India, Russia signed IGA for construction of four P1135 class frigates

In October 2016, the Government of India and the Government of Russian Federation had signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) contract for the construction of four additional Krivak or Talwar-class frigates (P1135.6), two ships being built in Russia at Yantar Shipyard and two ships being built in India at Goa Shipyard Limited.

Following this agreement, a $950-million deal was inked for the direct purchase.

Russia, India’s GSL signed a $500-million deal under the 2+2 scheme for two P1135 class frigates

In November 2018, the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) signed a $500-million deal under the 2+2 scheme with Rosoboronexport of Russia for design, material, and specialists assistance to locally manufacture the two frigates.

In January 2019, the Defence Ministry and the GSL signed the contract. The deal ‘2+2 scheme’ wherein the technology will be transferred to an Indian shipyard for the construction of two frigates from scratch was in pipeline since 2015.

The keel of the first of the two Krivak class frigates to be built at Goa Shipyard Limited was laid in January 2021 and the second frigate in June 2021. The first of the two frigates from GSL is expected to be delivered in 2026 and the second frigate is 6 months later.

P1135.6 class frigates – Background

Project 1135.6 also known as Krivak or Talwar-class frigates are a class of stealth-guided missile frigates that are designed and built by Russia for the Indian Navy. The first batch of the ships of Project 1135.6 was built by Baltic Shipyard and the second batch by Yantar Shipyard. To date, the Indian Navy already operates six of these ships namely INS Talwar (F40), INS Trishul (F43), INS Tabar (F44), INS Teg (F45), INS Tarkash (F50), and INS Trikand (F51). INS Tushil is the 7^th Indian Navy Frigate of Project 1135.6.