Russia: Rajnath Singh attends Commissioning Ceremony of INS Tushil

Kaliningrad: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the Commissioning Ceremony of INS Tushil at Russia’s Kaliningrad on Monday.

In a post on X, Defence Minister’s Office stated, “Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh attending the Commissioning Ceremony of #INSTushil at Kaliningrad, Russia.”

Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh attending the Commissioning Ceremony of #INSTushil at Kaliningrad, Russia. pic.twitter.com/RKMywUSrfK

— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) December 9, 2024

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 Baltisky shipyard, St Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg class ships, built at Yantar shipyard, Kaliningrad, according to Ministry of Defence’s earlier press release.

INS Tushil, the seventh in the series, is the first of the two upgraded additional follow-on ships the contract for which was signed in Oct 2016 between JSC Rosoboronexport, Indian Navy and the Government of India, as per the release.

The ships construction was closely monitored by an Indian team of specialists from the Warship Overseeing Team stationed at Kaliningrad, under the aegis of the Indian Embassy in Moscow.

“The warship is the result of the continuous toil of hundreds of shipyard workers along with multiple Russian and Indian OEMs,” the Ministry of Defence stated in an earlier press release.

The ship post construction and readiness underwent a series of extensive trials, beginning January this year, including Factory Sea Trials, State Committee Trials and lastly Delivery Acceptance Trials by a team of Indian specialists.

These trials included the proving of all Russian equipment fitted onboard, including weapon firings. During the trials, the ship clocked an impressive speed of more than 30 knots. With these trials being successfully completed, the ship would reach India in a near combat-ready condition ready to deliver its effects from the word go.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the ship’s name, Tushil, means ‘the protector shield’ and its crest represents the ‘Abhedya Kavacham’ (impenetrable shield). Along with its motto, ‘Nirbhay, Abhedya aur Balsheel’ (Fearless, Indomitable, Resolute), the ship stands as a symbol of the Indian Navy’s undying commitment to protect and safeguard the nation’s maritime frontiers.

This 125 metre, 3900-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.

With the collaboration of Indian naval specialists and Severnoye Design Bureau, the indigenous content of the ship has been enhanced to an impressive 26 per cent and the number of made-in-India systems have more than doubled to 33. The major Indian OEMs involved were BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Keltron, Nova Integrated Systems from Tata, Elcome Marine, Johnson Controls India and many more.”

“Upon commissioning, INS Tushil will join the ‘Sword Arm’ of the Indian Navy, the Western Fleet, under the Western Naval Command and will rank amongst the most technologically advanced frigates in the world. It will not only be a symbol of Indian Navy’s growing capabilities, but also the resilient collaborative strength of the India-Russia partnership,” the Ministry of Defence added.

Rajnath Singh arrived in Moscow on Sunday night. He received a warm welcome on late Sunday night by Indian Ambassador to Russia, Venkatesh Kumar, and Russian Deputy Minister of Defence, Alexander Fomin.

During his visit, Singh will also pay tributes at ‘The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ in Moscow to honour the Soviet soldiers killed during the Second World War. He will also interact with the members of the Indian community, a release said.

Singh is set to hold crucial discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and co-chair the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC M&MTC) alongside Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov.

This visit aims to further deepen India- Russia defence cooperation in line with the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, the Embassy of India in Russia wrote on X.