INS Tamal, last Indian warship built abroad, to be commissioned in Russia on July 1

NEW DELHI: The last Indian warship to be built abroad, a 3,900 tonne multi-role stealth frigate packed with sensors and weapons like BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, will be commissioned as INS Tamal in Russia on July 1.

The Navy currently has 59 warships and vessels under construction in Indian shipyards at an overall cost of around Rs 1.2 lakh crore to add to its expanding blue-water combat capabilities. It also has the initial approval or 'acceptance of necessity (AoN)' for indigenous construction of another 31 warships, including big projects for nine diesel-electric submarines, seven new-generation frigates and eight anti-submarine warfare corvettes.

"The force has fully transformed from a 'Buyer's Navy' to a 'Builder's Navy' over the years. There is no plan for an Indian warship to be constructed abroad in future," a officer told TOI.

The Navy, which currently has 140 warships and submarines along with over 250 aircraft and helicopters, plans to expand to around 180 warships and 350 aircraft and helicopters by 2030. This is crucial for tackling the rapidly-growing maritime collusiveness between Pakistan and China, which has the world's largest Navy with 370 warships but is currently constrained by the 'tyranny of logistics' in the Indian Ocean Region.

The 125-metre long INS Tamal, with extended endurance, a top speed of over 30 knots and a crew of 250 sailors, will be commissioned at a ceremony presided over by Western Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh in Kaliningrad.

India in Oct 2018 had inked an umbrella agreement with Russia for four upgraded Krivak-III class frigates, with the first two to be imported for around Rs 8,000 crore. The other two, Triput and Tavasya, in turn, are being built at the Goa shipyard with transfer of technology at an overall cost of around Rs 13,000 crore.

The first frigate, INS Tushil, reached her home port of Karwar from Russia in Feb. These four new warships will add to the six such Russian frigates, 3 Talwar-class and 3 Teg-class warships, already inducted from 2003-2004 onwards.

Designed for blue-water operations across the spectrum of naval warfare in four dimensions of air, surface, underwater and electromagnetic, these frigates are armed with a wide array of advanced weapon systems. "INS Tamal has significant upgrades over her predecessors, punching well above her weight," an officer said.

Besides BrahMos missiles, the frigate has Shtil vertical launched surface-to-air missiles, an improved A190-01 100mm gun and a new age electro-optical/infrared Sandal V system. She is also equipped with a 30mm close-in weapon system, heavyweight torpedoes, urgent attack anti-submarine rockets, apart from various surveillance and fire control radars and systems.