By Ajai Shukla
9th December 2024
INS Tushil (F 70), India’s latest multi-role, guided missile frigate, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia on Sunday (December 09, 2024).
In his address, Rajnath Singh described the commissioning as a proud testament to India’s growing maritime strength and a significant milestone in the long-standing friendship between India and Russia, which are bound together by shared values, mutual trust, and special & strategic privileged partnership.
Rajnath Singh said: “Made in India content is continuously increasing in many ships including INS Tushil. The ship is proof of the collaborative prowess of Russian and Indian industries. It exemplifies India’s journey towards technological excellence through jointmanship.”
He reasserted the Indian Navy’s commitment to peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). “Our Navy has foiled the designs of piracy, arms and drug smugglers and non-state actors in various hotspots. From the Gulf of Oman to the Gulf of Aden, from Suez to Malacca and from Australia to Madagascar, the Indian Navy is playing the essential role of a net security provider in IOR,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi congratulated all those involved in the project, especially the shipyard workers and all Russian and Indian OEMs for their exceptional work, flawless integration of Indian systems with Russian systems and contribution to the quality capability upgrades achieved in this project.
The ceremony commenced with a joint Guard of Honour presented by the personnel from the ship’s crew and Russia’s Baltic Fleet crew. The Commanding Officer designate of Tushil symbolically accepted a ceremonial ship’s baton from his Russian counterpart. He read out the Commissioning Warrant of the ship addressed to him by the Chief of the Naval Staff. The ship was commissioned with the hoisting of the ‘colours’ i.e., the Indian Naval ensign.
About INS Tushil
INS Tushil is an upgraded Krivak III class frigates of the Project 1135.6 of which, six are already in service – three Talwar class ships, built at Baltiysky shipyard, St. Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg class ships, built at Yantar shipyard, Kaliningrad. INS Tushil, the seventh in the series, is the first of the two upgraded additional follow-on ships, the contract for which was signed in October 2016 between JSC Rosoboronexport, Indian Navy and the Government of India.
INS Tushil is designed for blue water operations across the spectrum of naval warfare in all four dimensions air, surface, underwater and electromagnetic. It is armed with a range of advanced weapons, including the jointly-developed Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, vertically-launched Shtil Surface-to-Air Missiles with enhanced ranges, upgraded medium-range anti-air and surface gun with advanced stealth features, optically-controlled close-range rapid fire gun system, anti-submarine torpedoes and rockets and advanced electronic warfare and communication suite.
The ship also embarks the upgraded anti-submarine and airborne early warning helicopters -- Kamov 28 and Kamov 31 -- which are formidable force multipliers in themselves. The ship is powered by an advanced gas turbine propulsion plant with state-of-the-art controls and is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots.
The ship is commanded by Captain Peter Varghese a gunnery and missile specialist.
The ship’s keel was laid on July 12, 2013 and it was launched in water in October 2021. The ship sailed out for her maiden sea trials on January 25, 2024, and completed an exhaustive schedule of Factory trials followed by State Committee Trials and finally the Delivery Acceptance Trials, both in harbour and at sea, by September 24, 2024.
The ship has successfully carried out firing trials of all her Russian weapon systems and would reach India in near combat-ready condition.
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