Despite years of war between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow and Kiev worked separately for a common objective – the construction of an Indian Navy warship, which was handed over to New Delhi on Monday when Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met a top Reached Moscow for -level program. visit.
The frigate – INS Tushil – is one of two naval ships for which India placed an order with Russia in 2016. It is a Krivak III-class frigate, an advanced stealth missile frigate. India currently operates six such warships – all built in Russia.
Apart from the two ships to be built in Russia, two more similar ships have been ordered to be built in India and will likely be constructed at the Goa Shipyard.
Interestingly, the primary engines of these warships – gas turbines – are manufactured in Ukraine. A Russian warship with Ukrainian engines, built for India – the two countries share close ties.
Most of the ships in the Indian Navy fleet use gas turbines manufactured by the Ukrainian company Zorya-Mashproekt – recognized globally as a leader in marine gas turbine production.
However, what is unique is that this order has been placed when there is a war going on between Russia and Ukraine, and it is worth noting that both the countries have placed the order despite the conflict. However, there was some challenge – India had to physically purchase these engines from Ukraine and deliver them to Russia before they could be installed on this warship, so there has been some delay.
All about INS Tushil
INS Tushil is the Indian Navy’s newest multi-role, stealth-guided missile frigate. The name ‘Tushil’ means ‘protector shield’ and its peak represents ‘Abhedya Kavacham’ (impenetrable shield). It has a motto – ‘Nirbhay, Abheedya aur Baalsheel’ (fearless, indomitable and determined). This ship symbolizes the unwavering commitment of the Indian Navy to protect the maritime borders of the country.
INS Tushil is an upgraded Russian Krivak III-class frigate under ‘Project 11356’.
Project 11356 is the code name for the Talwar-class frigates, a class of stealth, guided-missile frigates designed and built by Russia for the Indian Navy. The design of the Talwar class frigates has been developed as an upgraded version of the Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates used by Russia. So far, six such ships have been built by Russia and delivered to India between 1999 and 2013.
The six Krivak-class frigates that are already in service include three Talwar-class ships built at the Baltiysky Shipyard in St. Petersburg and three Teg-class ships built at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad.
‘INS Tushil’ will be the seventh in the series and the first of two advanced, advanced warships for which the Government of India and the Indian Navy signed a contract with Russia’s JSC Rosoboronexport in October 2016.
The 125 meter long warship weighing 3,900 tonnes was under constant supervision throughout the construction by experts from India’s Warship Inspection Team permanently stationed in Kaliningrad, Russia. The warship is equipped with advanced Indian missiles, details of which were not disclosed by the Indian Navy.
The warship has undergone a series of sea trials, factory sea trials and state committee trials starting in January 2024, during which it clocked an impressive speed of over 30 knots (55 kmph). It is now being transported to India in war-ready condition.
Russia is handing over the warship to India in Kaliningrad on Monday and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will commission it along with Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
After commissioning, INS Tushil will join the Western Fleet, the ‘Sword Arm’ of the Indian Navy under the Western Naval Command.
China’s challenge
While the first of the two warships was delivered on Monday, the delivery date of the second ship may take some time. The warship is an important addition to the Indian Navy which faces the challenge of the rapidly growing Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean.
The Chinese Navy is the fastest growing navy in the world, and according to some reports the Chinese Navy may have already overtaken the US Navy to become the largest naval fleet globally. Nowhere is this felt more significantly than in the Indian Ocean.
While India has a geographical advantage over China in the Indian Ocean and its strategic location close to key choke points, China has an edge in terms of the number of ships in the naval fleet.
