'Tushil': Indian Navy's Seventh P1135.6 Class Frigate With Stealth Tech Launched At Russia's Yantar Shipyard

Tushil, the seventh Indian Navy ship of the P1135.6 class, was launched on Thursday (28 October) at the Yantar Shipyard in Russia.

The ship was launched in the presence of the Indian ambassador to Russia D Bala Venkatesh Verma, officials of the Indian Navy and senior dignitaries of the Russian Federation.

During the ceremony, the ship was formally named as ‘Tushil’, a Sanskrit word that means Protector Shield.

Based on an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between the Indian and Russian governments for construction of two ships of Project 1135.6 ships in Russia and two ships in India at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), the contract for construction of two ships was signed between the two countries in October 2018.

The construction of these ships is based on Indian Navy’s specific requirements to meet the entire spectrum of naval warfare in all three dimensions of Air, Surface and Sub-surface, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The ships with a potent combination of state-of-art Indian and Russian weapons and sensors are equipped to operate in littoral and blue waters, both as a single unit and as consort in a naval task force.

They feature “stealth technology” in terms of low radar and under water noise signatures.

These ships are being equipped with major Indian supplied equipment such as surface to surface missiles, sonar system, Surface Surveillance Radar, Communication Suite and ASW system along with Russian Surface to Air Missiles and gun mounts.

During the launch ceremony, the Indian ambassador acknowledged the efforts put in by the Yantar Shipyard to ensure that the ship was launched as per the contractual timelines despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.