INS Tamal: Russia-built multi-role stealth frigate to join Indian Navy soon

India will soon get its second formidable warship built in Russia, a multi-role stealth frigate armed with guns and sensors that will succeed her sister ship, INS Tushil, which was commissioned in December of last year.

With India flexing its naval muscles in the Arabian Sea amid rising tensions with Pakistan, the Navy and DRDO successfully fired indigenously developed underwater ’ multi-influence ground mines’ designed to destroy enemy submarines and stealth warships on Monday, albeit with reduced explosives.

“The system will further enhance the undersea warfare capabilities of the Indian Navy,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated.

The new 3,900-tonne frigate, which will be commissioned as INS Tamal, is expected to be handed over to the Indian Navy in Kaliningrad after completing all critical testing, including weapon fire, in about a month.

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“The frigate will then be commissioned and set sail for India,” an officer announced on Monday.

In October 2016, India signed an umbrella deal with Russia for four improved Krivak-III class frigates, with the first two to be purchased for roughly Rs 8,000 crore. The other two, Triput and Tavasya, are being built at the Goa Shipyard with technology transfer at a total cost of around Rs 13,000 crore.

These frigates are equipped with a wide range of sophisticated armament systems and are designed for blue sea operations throughout the four dimensions of naval warfare: air, surface, subsurface, and electromagnetic.

The weaponry includes the Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, whose attack range has been increased from 290 to 450 kilometres, the vertically-launched Shtil surface-to-air missiles with longer ranges, and anti-submarine torpedoes and rockets, among others.

The frigates can reach speeds of over 30 knots and carry updated anti-submarine and airborne early warning helicopters, the Kamov-28 and Kamov-31, which are force multipliers in their own right. “High degree of automation and stealth features, across radio, infrared, and acoustic spectrums, further enhance their combat capability and survivability,” the officer stated.