New Talwar-class frigate enters service with the Indian Navy
The INS Tushil on entering service with the Indian Navy. (Photo: United Shipbuilding Corporation)
The INS Tushil has been in production and testing for over a decade, with three more vessels following behind to complete the class.
The Indian Navy’s latest Talwar-class guided-missile frigate, the INS Tushil, officially entered service on 9 December 2024.
The keel of the Tushil was laid 11 years earlier, in 2013, and it first touched water back in October 2021 at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia, where it was commissioned. It was built by the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
The Talwar-class vessels are based on the Russian Navy’s new Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates. The Tushil is the seventh vessel in India’s Talwar-class fleet.
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With a length of 124 metres, and a top speed of 32 knots, Talwar-class ships like the INS Tushil were designed for blue water operations, including anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and electronic warfare.
The INS Tushil is armed with advanced weapons, including jointly-developed Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, vertically-launched surface-to-air missiles, upgraded medium-range anti-air and surface guns with advanced stealth features.
It will also feature an optically-controlled close-range rapid-fire gun system, anti-submarine torpedoes and rockets and an advanced electronic warfare and communication suite.
The Tushil has already carried out successful firing trials on all Russian weapon systems, and is expected to arrive in India almost ready for combat. Another frigate in the class, the future INS Tamala, is due to be handed over to the Indian Navy in Q1 of FY2025.
Following the delivery of the INS Tamala, two final vessels in the class are scheduled to be built by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in India. They are expected to enter service in 2027, expanding the Talwar class to 10 vessels in total. With a budget of US$600 million each, these frigates will be the largest shipbuilding programme ever conducted by GSL.
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