INS Tushil proves India-Russia collaborative prowess: Rajnath

NEW DELHI: INS Tushil, the country's latest stealth missile frigate, was on Monday commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia, in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, who described the warship as a "proud testament" to India's growing maritime might and a "significant milestone" in the long-standing friendship between the two countries.

- Rahul Singh

In his address at the commissioning ceremony, Singh said Russia's support to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) campaign reflected the deep bilateral ties between the two countries.

"Made in India content is continuously increasing in many ships, including INS Tushil. The ship is a big proof of the collaborative prowess of Russian and Indian industries." Tushil (or the protector shield) is an upgraded Krivak III class frigate of Project 1135.6, and six such vessels are already in service -- three Talwar class ships, built at Baltic shipyard in St Petersburg, and three follow-on Teg class ships, built at the Yantar shipyard.

Tushil has an indigenous content of around 26%, double that of the previous Teg-class frigates, HT has learnt. This includes contributions from 33 firms including Bharat Electronics Limited, BrahMos Aerospace (an India-Russia joint venture), and Nova Integrated Systems (a fully owned subsidiary of Tata Advanced Systems Limited).