INS Tamal: Indian Navy’s Newest Warship Commissioned with Advanced Capabilities
The Indian Navy has commissioned its latest stealth frigate, INS Tamal (F 71), at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. The commissioning ceremony was attended by senior officials from both India and Russia, including VAdm Sanjay Jasjit Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, and VAdm Sergie Lipin, Commander Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation Navy.
INS Tamal is the eighth multi-role stealth frigate in the series of Project 1135.6 and the second of the additional follow-on Tushil class of ships. The ship is designed for blue water operations across the spectrum of naval warfare in all four dimensions – air, surface, underwater, and electromagnetic.
The ship is equipped with advanced weapon systems, including dual-role BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, vertically launched surface-to-air missiles with extended ranges, and potent ASW rockets and heavyweight torpedoes. INS Tamal also features advanced electronic warfare suite and EO/IR systems, and a combat management system that fuses all weapons and sensors into an effective fighting machine.
The commissioning of INS Tamal marks a significant milestone in the strategic partnership between India and Russia. The ship’s construction is a testament to the collaborative strength and ability to dovetail technologies of both nations into one combat platform. The Indian Navy has been working closely with the Russian Navy to enhance maritime cooperation and interoperability between the two countries.
INS Tamal has 26% indigenous components, including the BrahMos long-range cruise missile and Humsa-NG Sonar system. The construction of the next two ships of the class in India further enhances the scope and potential of the Make-in-India initiative.
The ship will soon embark on her maiden passage back to her homeport of Karwar in Karnataka. The ship will touch various ports en route and showcase her combat prowess. With its advanced capabilities and state-of-the-art technology, INS Tamal is set to dominate the maritime space and enhance the Indian Navy’s reach, responsiveness, and resilience.
Alexander Mikheev, Director General of ROSOBORONEXPORT JSC, highlighted the significance of the project, stating that the successful completion of construction, testing, and delivery of the frigate Tamal to India demonstrates ROSOBORONEXPORT’s readiness to effectively fulfill any naval contracts, taking into account current global market trends. He emphasized that the eighth Project 11356 frigate is a model of technology cooperation, incorporating more than 20 Indian-made ship systems.
