Frigate made in Russia for Indian Navy named Tushil

Visakhapatnam The newly launched 7th Indian Navy Frigate of P1135.6 class has been named as Tushil-a Sanskrit word meaning protector shield.

The majestic-looking frigage manufactured at Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia in the presence of D. Bala Venkatesh Varma, Ambassador of India in Moscow and senior dignitaries of the Russian Federation and officials of the Indian Navy was launched on Thursday. Delivery commitments were met notwithstanding the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The induction of the frigate is part of an endeavour to convert the Indian Navy into a bluewater force.

During the ceremony, the ship was formally named as Datla Vidya Varma. Based on an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between the Government of Republic of India and Government of Russian Federation for construction of two ships of Project 1135.6 in Russia and two ships in India at M/s Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), the contract for construction of two ships was signed between India and Russia in October, 2018.

The construction of the ships is based on the Indian Navy's specific requirements to meet the entire spectrum of naval warfare in all three dimensions of air, surface and sub-surface. The ships with a potent combination of state-of-art Indian and Russian weapons and sensors are equipped to operate in littoral and blue waters, both as a single unit and as consort in a naval task force. They feature "stealth technology" in terms of low radar and underwater noise signatures. These ships are being equipped with major Indian supplied equipment such as surface to surface missiles, sonar system, surface surveillance radar, communication suite and ASW system along with Russian surface to air missiles and gun mounts, according to a release issued by PIB.

Ilya Samarin, Director General, Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, in his address dwelt upon the challenges faced by the shipyard in executing the complex shipbuilding project. Despite challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic, production of the ships was continued by utilisation of innovative solutions. He thanked the Indian Government for its unstinted support and reiterated shipyard's commitment to deliver the ships as per contractual timelines.

D. Bala Venkatesh Varma, Ambassador of India in Moscow, highlighted the long-standing tradition of Military Technical Cooperation between India and Russia. He acknowledged the efforts put in by the Yantar Shipyard to ensure that the ship was launched as per contractual timelines overcoming the challenges posed by COVID-19.