NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy on Tuesday commissioned INS Tamal (F71), a multi-role stealth guided missile frigate at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.
INS Tamal is the eighth multi-role stealth frigate in the series of Project 1135.6 and the second of the additional follow-on Tushil class of ships. The first ship of Tushil class (INS Tushil) was commissioned on 09 Dec 24 in the presence of the Defence Minister.
The Indian Navy in a statement said, "All seven ships inducted thus far are part of the Western Fleet - 'The Sword Arm' of the Indian Navy under the Western Naval Command. This ceremony marks the formal induction of INS Tamal into the Indian Navy. The ship is commanded by Capt Sridhar Tata, a gunnery and missile warfare specialist. Vice Admiral (VAdm) Sanjay Jasjit Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command was the Chief Guest at the commissioning ceremony."
In his address, the Chief Guest, V Adm Sanjay Jasjit Singh noted that the commissioning of Tamal into the Indian Navy marked a significant milestone in the country's maritime defense capabilities and Indo-Russian Cooperation.
Vice Admiral Singh commented that "INS Tamal joins the illustrious list of Talwar, Teg, and Tushil class of ships, renowned for their dependability and prowess."
Though being built in Russia, the ship has 26% indigenous components , including the BrahMos long-range cruise missile and Humsa-Next Generation (NG) Sonar system, Singh added.
Tamal is the 51st ship being produced under India, Russia collaborative effort in the past 65 years. The construction of the next two ships of the class in India further enhances the scope, potential and wide horizon in harnessing and synergising mutual strengths and joint capabilities.
He concluded his address by emphasising that the Indian Navy stands as a credible, capable, cohesive, and future-ready force ready to meet any challenges anytime, anywhere.
As per Navy, INS Tamal is a formidable moving fortress at sea and is designed for blue water operations across the spectrum of naval warfare in all four dimensions ie. air, surface, underwater and electromagnetic.
The construction of the warship began with its launch on 24 February 2022. She sailed for her maiden sea trials Nov 2024, and completed an exhaustive schedule of Factory Trials State Committee Trials and the Delivery Acceptance Trials, both in harbour and at sea, by Jun 2025.
The ship has successfully carried out trial firing of all her Russian weapon systems including the vertical launched surface to air missile Shtil-1, artillery weapons and torpedoes.
Elaborating on the weapons systems, Indian Navy said, "Tamal punches well above her weight with Dual role BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, vertically launched surface to air missile with extended ranges, the standard 30 MM Close in Weapon System, the 100 MM Main gun and very potent Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) rockets and heavyweight torpedoes."
Tamal is an amalgamation of Indian and Russian technologies with a host of state of the art communication and network centric operational capabilities.
"The complement of advanced electronic warfare suite and advanced EO/IR systems adds ears and eyes to this potent platform. The highly versatile combat management system fuses all weapons and sensors into an effective fighting machine. The ship is also capable of embarking the upgraded Anti-submarine and Airborne Early Warning helicopters, the Kamov 28 and Kamov 31, which are formidable force multipliers," the Navy added.
The ship has been equipped with complex automated systems for nuclear, biological and chemical defence, including damage control and fire-fighting that can be operated centrally from sheltered posts.
These complex systems aid in minimising casualties, achieve rapid restoration of combat effectiveness, enhancing combat capability and survivability.
INS Tamal is manned by a crew of about 250 sailors and 26 officers. The officers and sailors of this ship embody the ships motto - Sarvatra Sarvada Vijaya (Victory always everywhere) , signifying Tamal's undying commitment to operational excellence in every mission, complementing Indian Navy's motto 'Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive and Future Ready Force Safeguarding National Maritime Interests - Anytime, Anywhere'.
The ship will soon embark on her maiden passage back to her homeport of Karwar in Karnataka. Tamal will touch various ports enroute and showcase her combat prowess. It would reach India in combat-ready conditions set to dominate maritime space.