India unveils latest warship: INS Tushil, a guided missile stealth frigate

With the Tricolour fluttering from its bow, F-70 INS Tushil is the latest warship to join the Indian Navy. The guided missile stealth frigate was commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Kaliningrad, a Russian port city lying on the frigid waters of Scandinavia, on December 9.

The ship’s name, Tushil, means ‘the protector shield’ and its crest represents ‘Abhedya Kavacham’ or the impenetrable shield and bears its motto ‘Nirbhay, Abhedya aur Balsheel’ that translates to fearless, indomitable, resolute.

During the commissioning ceremony, the Defence Minister, who was accompanied by Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, and other Russian and Indian dignitaries, described it as a proud testament to India’s growing maritime strength, according to agency reports. He also said that India and Russia will enter a new era of cooperation by taking advantage of each other’s expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence and counter-terrorism.

INS Tushil’s genesis

According to information released by the Navy, 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 above-mentioned series, is the first of the two upgraded additional follow-on ships, the contract for which was signed between JSC Rosoboronexport, Indian Navy and the Government of India. The ship’s construction was closely monitored by an Indian team of specialists from Warship Overseeing Team stationed at Kaliningrad, under the aegis of the Embassy of India, Moscow.

Initially laid in July 2013 as Admiral Butakov, it is one of the six Admiral Grigorovich Class boats, also referred to as Krivak V Class, planned by Russia for its own fleet. In October 2018, the Ministry of Defence signed a deal for Rs 8,000 crore for procuring two Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates from Russia. The second such boat, ex-Admiral Istomin has been christened INS Tamala.

The warship has been built in collaboration with multiple Russian and Indian equipment manufacturers. The indigenous content has been enhanced to 26 per cent and the number of made-in-India systems have more than doubled to 33. The major Indian agencies include BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Keltron, Nova Integrated Systems from Tata, Elcome Marine and Johnson Controls India.

The post construction and readiness phase underwent a series of extensive trials from January this year, which included factory sea trials, state committee trials and finally delivery acceptance trials by a team of Indian specialists. These trials included the proving of all Russian equipment fitted on-board, including weapon firings. During the trials, the ship clocked an impressive speed of more than 30 knots (about 56 kmph).

What is a frigate?

Frigate is a well-armed warship that specialises in anti-submarine or anti-air operations and is generally used for escort duties to protect fleets and sea lanes of communication. These are smaller than destroyers, which are more heavily armed and are meant for offensive operations. However, with the evolution of navies and development of new weapons systems, the difference between destroyers and frigates has somewhat blurred as frigates now also have significant offensive capability against surface targets.

Indian maritime history documents the use of frigate-like or their equivalent vessels like the Grab and Gallivat sail ships used by the Maratha forces to project naval power. The modern frigate came to the Indian subcontinent in the early 1920s when British ships like HMIS Clive and HMIS Lawrence were commissioned into the erstwhile Royal Indian Navy.

Frigates have always formed an important element of the Indian Navy’s surface combatant fleet, with the earlier post-Independence era marked by ships of western origin. In the 1970s and the 1980s it tilted towards Soviet/Russian origin ships and now a significant indigenous ship building capability exists.

Packing a power punch

This 125-m long, 3,900-ton ship, packs a lethal punch and is an impressive blend of Russian and Indian cutting-edge technologies and best practices in warship construction. The ship’s new design provides it with enhanced stealth features and better stability characteristics. In comparison, INS Kolkata, the Indian Navy’s largest destroyer, is 163 m in length with a displacement of 7,500 tons.

INS Tushil will be manned by a complement of 180 personnel, including 18 officers. The ship will be armed with eight BrahMos vertically launched anti-ship cruise missiles, 24 medium range and eight short range surface-to-air missiles, a 100 mm gun and two close-in weapons for last ditch defence against incoming missiles. In addition, it will have two double torpedo tubes and a rocket launcher to deal with submarines. It is also equipped with an array of radars, navigation aids, sonar and electronic warfare suites, fire control systems and decoys.

Besides, the newly inducted INS Tushil, the Indian’s Navy presently operates 12 frigates, which include three Shivalik Class, six Talwar/Teg Class and three Brahmaputra Class boats. Other principal combatants include 18 submarines, two aircraft carriers, 12 destroyers and 18 corvettes. More warships are on order.