The Indian Navy (IN) commissioned two different types of frigate on 1 July, one built in Russia and the other in India. Notably, this could be the last time India resorts to buying naval vessels constructed overseas.
INS Tamal, a Project 1135.6 frigate bearing the pennant number ‘F71’, had been constructed at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. It was launched on 24 February 2022.
This warship is a sister to INS Tushil, which the IN commissioned on 9 December 2024. The contract for this pair of 4,000-tonne frigates had been signed in October 2016, so progress has been slow. A major obstacle was Ukraine’s understandable refusal to supply Zorya-Mashproekt M7N1 gas turbines after Russia’s adventurism in the Crimea.
Two more Project 11356M frigates are being built domestically in India by Goa Shipyard Limited, with technical assistance from Yantar. These were launched on 23 July 2024 and 22 March 2025 respectively.
After arriving in India, INS Tamal’s home port will be Karwar in Karnataka. This frigate will join the seven other Project 1135.6 frigates in the IN’s Western Fleet. (The class includes six Talwar-class frigates that entered service between 2003 and 2013.)
Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, said at the Kaliningrad ceremony, “The commissioning of versatile platforms like INS Tamal enhances the Indian Navy’s reach, responsiveness and resilience. I’m confident the ship will prove its mettle as a force multiplier in our operational architecture, towards safeguarding national maritime interests and promoting maritime security.”
Indian content reached levels of 26% on this warship, including a Humsa-NG (MK 2) sonar, surface surveillance radars and BrahMos missiles.
INS Tamal is the 51st naval vessel that Russia had built for India over the past 65 years. However, it could be the last, owing to India’s ardent pursuit of maximum indigenisation in its military procurements.
This ideal for local production is seen in the navy’s second new frigate, INS Udaygiri, which was handed over to the IN on the same day. Built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), Udaygiri is the second of seven Project 17A Nilgiri-class stealth frigates.
Project 17A follows on from the Shivalik, or Project 17, class, with the 6,670-tonne frigates around 4.5% larger.
It took MDL 37 months from launch date to delivery, with the MoD stating “the ships represent a quantum leap in Indian Navy’s in-house design capabilities”. Interestingly, this was the 100th naval vessel designed and delivered by the nation’s Warship Design Bureau. Each vessel includes indigenous content of more than 75%.
Onboard weapons include a Leonardo 76mm naval gun, eight BrahMos cruise missiles, twin 16-cell Barak-8 air defence missiles, two AK-630 close-in weapon systems, two 12.7mm remote weapon stations, two triple torpedo launchers and two RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers.
The remaining five Project 17A frigates will be delivered by the end of 2026, with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) constructing three of them.
Delhi claimed that Project 17A directly employs 4,000 workers and another 10,000 indirectly. The government said, “The positive spinoffs of the shipbuilding project included self-reliance, economic development, employment generation, growth of micro-, small and medium enterprises and ancillary ecosystem in the country.”
Indian shipbuilders are busy. Already delivered, or due to be commissioned, this year are a Project 15B destroyer, two Project 17A frigates, a Kalvari-class submarine, two Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, one diving support vessel and two Sandhayak-class survey ships.
by Gordon Arthur, Christchurch
