Navy to commission latest Russia-built stealth frigate ‘Tamal' on July 1

Hindustan Times

22-06-2025

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy will on July 1 commission its latest stealth multirole frigate, Tamal, at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia --- the last warship to be inducted from a foreign yard in line with the government's sharp focus on Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and Make-in-India initiatives, the navy said on Sunday. File photo of INS Tushil. Tamal is the second ship of the Tushil class, which is the upgraded version of their predecessors, Talwar and Teg classes having three ships each. (SpokespersonNavy-X)
The commissioning ceremony will be presided over by the Western Naval Command chief, Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh. The frigate is expected to reach India's west coast in September and will form part of the navy's Mumbai-based Western Fleet, HT learns.
Tamal is the eighth in the series of Krivak class frigates inducted from Russia over the past two decades, and will boost the country's maritime power in the Indian Ocean region.
'Tamal is the second ship of the Tushil class, which is the upgraded version of their predecessors, Talwar and Teg classes having three ships each. India as part of the broader contract for Tushil class is also building two similar frigates called the Triput class at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) with transfer of technology and design assistance from the Russian side,' the navy said in a statement.
The ship's name, Tamal, symbolises the mythical sword used for combat by Indra - the King of the gods, the navy statement said, adding that the ship's mascot is inspired by the congruence of the 'Jambavant', the Immortal Bear King of Indian Mythology and the Russian National Animal - the Eurasian Brown Bear.
With the conclusion of this series of ships, the Indian Navy will be operating ten warships with similar capabilities and commonality in equipment, weapon and sensor fit over four different classes, it added.
'Tamal punches well above its weight with a very high tonnage to firepower ratio, extended endurance, and a top speed in excess of 30 knots.'
The 3,900-tonne Tamal is part of a $2.5-billion deal with Russia for four more Krivak/Talwar class stealth frigates for the Indian Navy, two of which have been constructed at the Yantar shipyard and the remaining two will be built at GSL.
The first frigate under the deal, INS Tushil, was commissioned into the navy last December at the Yantar Shipyard and reached the country in February. It was commissioned in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, who described the warship as a 'proud testament' to India's growing maritime might and a 'significant milestone' in the long-standing friendship between the two countries.
Tushil and Tamal are upgraded Krivak III class frigates of Project 1135.6, and six such vessels are already in service --- three Talwar class ships, built at Baltic shipyard in St Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg class ships, built at the Yantar shipyard.
These frigates have an indigenous content of around 26%, double that of the previous Teg-class frigates. This includes contributions from 33 firms including Bharat Electronics Limited, BrahMos Aerospace (an India-Russia joint venture), and Nova Integrated Systems (a fully owned subsidiary of Tata Advanced Systems Limited).
The new frigates are armed with a range of advanced weapons, including the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Shtil surface-to-air missiles with enhanced range, upgraded medium-range anti-air and surface guns, optically controlled close-range rapid fire gun system, torpedoes and rockets.