Article Posted on : - Nov 09, 2012

INS Teg, the first Project 1135.6 class guided missile frigate. An Indian Navy photo.

MOSCOW (BNS): INS Tarkash, the second of the three stealth frigates constructed at Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia, was commissioned and inducted into the Navy by Vice-Admiral Shekhar Kumar Sinha, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, at Kaliningrad on Friday.

Indian Ambassador to the Russian Federation Ajai Malhotra, senior government officials of Russia, senior officials of the Indian and Russian Navies and industry representatives also attended the commissioning ceremony, according to reports received here at the Ministry of Defence.

The warship is the second of three new guided missile frigates India had ordered from Russia under a $1.6 billion contract signed in July, 2006.

The first ship of the class, INS Teg, was commissioned into the Navy in April this year.

The final ship, the Trikand, is presently undergoing dock trials, and after it completes sea trials in the Baltic Sea, will join the Indian Navy in the summer of 2013, Ria Novosti said.

The new missile frigates are designed to accomplish a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.

Each warship is equipped with 8 vertical launched BRAHMOS surface-to-surface missile systems as the prime strike weapon. The cruise missile is capable of engaging targets at extended ranges at supersonic speed.

Other weapons on the ship include a Shtil surface-to-air missile system, a 100 mm medium range gun, two Kashtan air-defense gun/missile systems, two 533-mm torpedo launchers and anti-submarine warfare helicopter.

On Oct 7, INS Teg had successfully test fired the BRAHMOS missile system off the coast of Goa. The missile hit a decommissioned target ship at a distance of 290 kms.