Indian Navy's stealth frigate 'Tushil' launched in Russia's Kaliningrad

The navy said that the 7th Indian Navy Frigate of the P1135.6 class was launched on October 28 at Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. The ship was formally named Tushil by Datla Vidya Varma at the event, according to the Navy. It said "Tushil" is a Sanskrit term that means "Protector Shield."

The contract for the construction of two ships was signed between India and Russia on October 18 based on an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between the Governments of the Republic of India and the Russian Federation for the construction of two Project 1135.6 ships in Russia and two ships in India at M/s Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).

Indian Navy's stealth frigate Tushil launched

These ships were built to meet the Indian Navy's particular specifications for covering the whole spectrum of naval combat in all three dimensions of air, surface, and sub-surface warfare. The ships are equipped to operate in Littoral and Blue waters, both as a single unit and as part of a naval task force, according to the announcement, with a potent combination of state-of-the-art Indian and Russian weapons and sensors.

In terms of radar and underwater noise signatures, they have "stealth technology." Along with Russian Surface to Air Missiles and gun stations, these ships will be equipped with significant Indian-supplied equipment such as Surface-to-Surface Missiles, Surface Surveillance Radar, Sonar system, Communication Suite, and ASW system. The stealth frigate was launched in the presence of D Bala Venkatesh Varma, India's Ambassador to Moscow, as well as senior Russian Federation dignitaries and Indian Navy officers.

Ilya Samarin, Director General of Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, spoke about the difficulties the shipyard has faced in completing the complicated shipbuilding project. Despite the problems faced by the ongoing pandemic, ship production was maintained through the use of inventive solutions. He expressed gratitude to the Indian government for its unwavering support and reaffirmed the shipyard's commitment to meeting contractual deadlines. D Bala Venkatesh Varma, India's Ambassador to Moscow, emphasised the two countries' long history of military-technical cooperation. He praised the Yantar Shipyard's efforts to ensure that the ship was launched on time and within budget, despite the hurdles posed by COVID-19.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: @indiannavy/Twitter)