Article Posted on : - Oct 08, 2009

An official photo of INS Talwar (F-40).

KALININGRAD (BNS): Three new Talwar class guided missile frigates being built at Russia’s Yantar shipyard will be equipped with BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missiles instead of the 3M-54E Klub-N anti-ship missiles, according to a media report here.

Russia is building the frigates for Indian Navy at a cost of $1.6 billion under a contract signed in July, 2006.

It has already delivered three frigates of the same class – INS Talwar, INS Trishul, and INS Tabar – to India. All the three warships have been fitted with 3M-54E Klub-N anti-ship missiles.

The Talwar class frigate has deadweight of 4,000 metric tons and a speed of 30 knots. It is capable of accomplishing a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.

All the new frigates will be armed with eight BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missiles rather than 3M-54E Klub-N anti-ship missiles, RIA Novosti said. They will also be equipped with a 100-mm gun, a Shtil air defense system, two Kashtan air defense gun/missile systems, two twin 533-mm torpedo tubes, and an anti-submarine warfare helicopter.

Meanwhile, the three new frigates have been named by India as INS Teg, INS Tarkash, and INS Trikand, a spokesman at the Yantar shipyard was quoted as saying by the news agency on Wednesday.

Updating about the construction work, the official said, “All three hulls have been completed... The first frigate in the series is expected to float out in October. The shipyard should be able to deliver all three vessels to the customer in 2011-2012.”