Kaliningrad (Russia)/New Delhi, Oct 29 : The seventh Talwar-class frigate of Indian Navy was launched at Yantar Shipyard in Russia’s Kaliningrad and was formally named Tushil, which means ‘protector shield’.
The ship was launched on October 28, in the presence of Indian Ambassador to Russia D Bala Venkatesh Varma, dignitaries of the Russian Federation and officials of Indian Navy.
An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) was signed between India and Russia for construction of two ships of Project 1135.6 in Russia and another two in India at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).
“The construction of these ships is based on Indian Navy’s specific requirements to meet the entire spectrum of naval warfare in all three dimensions of Air, Surface and Sub-surface,” an official statement said.
The ships, with a potent combination of state-of-the-art Indian and Russian weapons and sensors, are equipped to operate in Littoral and Blue waters, both as a single unit and as consort in a naval task force. These have “stealth technology” in terms of low radar and under water noise signatures.
These are being equipped with major India-supplied equipment such as surface-to-surface missiles, sonar system, surface surveillance radar, communication suite and anti-submarine system along with Russian-made surface-to-air missiles and gun mounts.
Ilya Samarin, Director General, Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, in his address, dwelt upon the challenges faced by the shipyard in executing the complex shipbuilding project. Despite challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic, production of the ships was continued by utilisation of innovative solutions.
He thanked the Indian government for their unstinted support and reiterated the shipyard’s commitment to deliver the vessels as per contractual timelines.
Ambassador Varma, meanwhile, highlighted the long-standing tradition of Military Technical Cooperation between India and Russia. He acknowledged the efforts put in by Yantar Shipyard to ensure that the ship was launched as per contractual timelines overcoming the challenges imposed by COVID-19.
The ship was formally named Tushil by Datla Vidya Varma, the envoy’s wife.(UNI)