Article Posted on : - May 22, 2015

Project 11356-class guided missile frigate INS Teg.

MOSCOW (BNS): India is reviewing plans to build at least three to four more Project 11356 guided missile frigates for its Navy in partnership with Russia, a Russian shipyard official has said.

The Indian Navy, which is already operating six such warships built at the Baltiysky Zavod in St. Petersburg and at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia, could produce the new slot of vessels at home, with the Russian participation.

"After we completed a series of three Indian orders, we hoped that India would continue partnership. What is more, the Indian Defence Ministry said the county's navy needed three-four more vessels of that class," Oleg Shumakov, director of the Yantar Shipyard, was quoted as saying by the Sputnik news agency.

"Currently, they (Indian Government) are examining a scenario to produce such ships at home, of course, with our participation and under our guidance," the shipyard official added.

While the first three vessels of the series in operation with Indian Navy (also called Talwar class) have been armed with the Russian Klub-N cruise missiles, the later three frigates, commissioned into service between 2012 and 2013, have deployed the Indo-Russian BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missiles as "prime strike weapon."

Recently, the Indian Government has also cleared a proposal to equip the first three frigates of the series with BRAHMOS, replacing the Klub missiles.

According to Shumakov, the new frigates to be built in future would be equipped with "different weapons."

"According to our plan, those ships will be of the same class, but with different weapons. Weaponry progresses non-stop, so, I think, the new vessel will be equipped with something more advanced.

"However, as for its seagoing capabilities, it will be the same. Now we are consulting with our Indian colleagues on all the aspects of the project," he said.

The frigates of Project 11356 are armed to fight against surface warships and submarines as well as to repel aerial attacks - both separately and in formation. They are equipped with versatile missiles, artillery guns and advanced radio-technical devices for anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defence.

Vessels of the project have a displacement of nearly 4,000 tons, a length of 125 meters, a speed of 30 knots (56 kmh), and a crew of 180.