Indian stealth naval ship Tushil launched in Russia

The 7th Indian Navy Frigate class was launched at Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia.

During the ceremony on October 28, the ship was formally named as Tushil by Datla Vidya Varma, the Navy said in a statement. "Tushil" is a Sanskrit word meaning Protector Shield.

Based on an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between the Government of Republic of India and the Government of Russian Federation for the construction of two ships of Project 1135.6 ships 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 on October 18.

The construction of these 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, the release said.

They feature "stealth technology" in terms of low radar and underwater noise signatures. These ships are equipped with major Indian supplied equipment such as Surface to Surface Missiles, Sonar system, Surface Surveillance Radar, Communication Suite and ASW system, and Russian Surface to Air Missiles and gun mounts.

The stealth frigate was launched in the presence of D Bala Venkatesh Varma, Ambassador of India (Moscow) and senior dignitaries of the Russian Federation and officials of the Indian Navy.

D Bala Venkatesh Varma 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 imposed by COVID-19.

(ANI)