India to commission new warship in Russia on Dec 9

India is set to commission INS Tushil, a state-of-the-art warship built in Russia, on December 9. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will preside over the ceremony in Kaliningrad, accompanied by Indian Navy Chief Admiral DK Tripathi.

INS Tushil is an upgraded version of its six sister warships already serving in the Indian Navy. These include three Talwar-class ships, constructed at the Baltiysky shipyard in St Petersburg and three Teg-class ships, built at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad.

Length: 125 m

Weight: 3,900 tonnes

As the seventh in this series, INS Tushil is part of a two-ship order placed on Russia in October 2016. Its construction was supervised by a team of Indian specialists stationed at Kaliningrad.

The ship underwent sea trials and delivery acceptance trials conducted by a team of Indian specialists. These trials verified the performance of all Russian equipment installed onboard, including weapon systems. During the trials, the ship achieved an impressive speed of over 30 knots. “With the successful completion of these trials, the ship will arrive in India in a near-combat-ready condition, prepared to deliver its capabilities from the outset,” the Indian Navy stated.

INS Tushil means “the protector shield”. The warship is 125-m long and packs a lethal punch. It 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.

The Indian content of the ship has been increased to 26 per cent. Major Indian companies involved in the project include BrahMos Aerospace, Bharat Electronics Limited, Keltron, Nova Integrated Systems (Tata), Elcome Marine, and Johnson Controls India.