Article Posted on : - May 26, 2011

KALININGRAD (BNS): Indian Navy's third and final Talwar-class guided missile frigate, INS Trikand, has been floated out at Russia's Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad on Wednesday.

The new frigate, being built under project 11356, was launched in the presence of Indian and Russian government and defence officials.

With over sixty percent of the warship's construction work over, including its weapons complex, it will now enter the final stage of production, the shipyard said. Installation of BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system on board the frigate is also over.

The Yantar shipyard was awarded a $1.6 billion contract in 2006 to build three modified Talwar class (also known as Krivak III class) guided missile frigates for the Indian Navy.

While the fist ship, INS Teg, was floated out in November 2009, the second vessel, INS Tarkash, was launched in June, 2010. Both the ships are getting ready to undergo sea trials in the coming months.

The frigates have been designed to accomplish a wide range of missions, primarily finding and eliminating enemy submarines and large surface ships.

All the three new class of Talwar frigates have been designed to carry the BRAHMOS missiles which will replace the 3M-54E Klub-N anti-ship missiles installed on the original three Talwar-class frigates presently operated by the Indian Navy.

Russia had built and delivered the original three frigates – INS Talwar, INS Trishul and INS Tabar – to India between 2003 and 2004 under a 1997 contract.

The other armaments to be installed on each of the new Talwar class frigate would be 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.

The three new frigates are slated to be handed over to India between 2011 and 2012 after undergoing extensive sea trials.