Each of the Talwar-class vessels displaces 3,620 tons, while the frigates have a top speed of 30 knots with an operating range of 4,850 miles. 

Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea coast, is a long way away from India. However, it was at a Russian shipyard in that city that the eighth Project 11356 Talwar-class frigate was officially handed over to the Indian Navy on Wednesday. The warship was the fifth to be built at United Shipbuilding Corporation’s (USC’s) Yantar Shipyard, formerly the German Schichau-Werke shipbuilding company from 1837 to 1945.

“The gala handover ceremony was held on July 1 in Kaliningrad. The frigate is called the Tamal. The acceptance act was signed by a Rosoboronexport representative and the commander of the warship,” the shipyard said in a statement to Tass.

The frigate, designed to counter surface, ground, air, and underwater threats, recently completed its acceptance trials.

Meet the INS Tamal, India’s Newest Ship

The INS Tamal will be the final ship of the Talwar-class to be built in Russia. However, two additional Project 11356 frigates will be produced by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in the years to come, with design and technical input from Russia.

“Our experience and competencies in the design and construction of warships are in demand in many leading countries. We plan to develop international cooperation,” explained United Shipbuilding CEO Andrey Puckhov.

Tamal is already outfitted with approximately 20 Indian-made systems—notably including the BrahMos supersonic missiles—as well as radar and sonar systems. The frigate program is part of a cooperation agreement between Rosoboronexport, the export subsidiary of the Russian military-industrial conglomerate Rostec, and the Indian military.

“The company actively develops partnerships with the Indian government and private enterprises in the joint design and production of military products in the partner’s territory. We are discussing 50 projects for all arms of forces,” added Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheyev.

The “Project 11356” Frigate Showcases Russia-India Cooperation

Moscow and New Delhi initiated the Project 11356 program in November 2018. Under the terms of the deal, the work was to be split between the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad and GSL in India.

The frigates are armed with A-190 100mm artillery guns, long-range missiles such as the Kalibr and Shtil, air defense systems, and torpedo armament. This provides the vessels with both anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities in littoral and ocean zones; the warships can further be used to deliver strikes against land-based targets and engage air targets independently or as part of a naval group. The warships can also carry Ka-27 (NATO reporting name Helix) early-warning helicopters.

Each of the Talwar-class vessels displaces 3,620 tons, while the frigates have a top speed of 30 knots with an operating range of 4,850 miles. This allows for blue water operations in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region.

In addition to the Project 11356 class, New Delhi also operates three of the five Project 61 Kashin-class destroyers that were initially built in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and early 1980s. Moreover, India’s second-largest warship and current flagship, the INS Vikramaditya, is the former Soviet Navy aircraft carrier Baku (later renamed Admiral Gorshkov). The second-hand carrier is growing old—and has had more than a few problems over the years—but India has nevertheless continued to rely on Russian-designed warships.

Before it partnered with the Soviet Union and later Russia for naval construction, the Indian Navy had previously operated other foreign-made vessels, including many built for the UK’s Royal Navy and sold to India following its independence. That included India’s first aircraft carrier, the former Majestic-class warship which had been laid down as HMS Hercules during the Second World War but purchased by New Delhi in 1957 and refashioned into the INS Vikrant.