INS Tarikand (F50), the Indian Navy’s third Talwar-class warship, has successfully completed sea trials in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, Russia, Yantar shipyard spokesman Sergei Mikhailov said.
Mikhailov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying that the frigate sailed in the Baltic Sea on 5 February and completed five voyages that lasted for a number of days until 14 March, as a part of the sea trails.
Launched in May 2011, the frigate is scheduled to undergo state sea trials at the Baltiisk port, Russia, before being delivered to the Indian Navy in the summer of 2013.
The delivery follows a $1.6bn contract awarded to Russia in July 2006 to build three additional project 1135.6 Talwar-class frigates, INS Teg (F45), INS Tarkash (F46) and INS Trikand (F50).
INS Trikand is armed with eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Kashtan Air Defence close-in weapon systems and twin 533mm DTA-53-11356 fixed torpedo tube launchers firing SET-65E / 53-65KE torpedoes.
The Yantar Shipyard-built frigate is also fitted with an AK-190 100mm naval gun, Shtil-1 medium-range surface-to-air missile system and 12 barrel RBU-6000 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) rocket to fire 212mm 90R ASW rocket or RGB-60 depth charges.
Powered by combined gas turbine propulsion systems, the modified version of the Krivak III-class frigates are 126m-long, capable of cruising at a maximum speed of 30k and can accommodate a crew of 313.
INS Teg, the first frigate of the class, was deployed in June 2012 while the second ship, INS Tarkash, arrived at the port of Mumbai, India, on 30 December 2012.
The three additional frigates will be deployed with existing warships of the same class, INS Talwar (sword), INS Trishul (trident) and INS Tabar (axe), to support Indian Navy operations.
Image: INS Tabar (F44) at sea. Photo: courtesy of Indiannavy.nic.in.
