Russia hands over Tushil frigate with BrahMos missile system to India PHOTO

Russia’s Rosoboronexport aerospace and defence company has announced that the Tushil frigate, equipped with the BrahMos missile system, was handed over to India.

This is the seventh ship in the Project 11356 series. The transfer ceremony was held in Kaliningrad on December 9, with India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in attendance, Caliber.Az reports, citing the message on the company's Telegram. 

During the ceremony, Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev highlighted that Russia and India are engaged in nearly a dozen joint naval projects.

“The frigate, built in Russia, is equipped with 20 Indian-made naval systems and is armed with the supersonic BrahMos missile system. Rosoboronexport and India are currently implementing around ten naval projects and discussing several new ones,” Mikheev said.

Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, who also attended the ceremony, shared his views on the combat experience of such ships.

"These ships, as part of the Russian fleet, were tested in combat operations in the Black Sea and fully confirmed their tactical and technical capabilities. I am confident that the inclusion of the Tushil frigate into India's naval forces will significantly enhance the combat power of its fleets and strengthen the Republic of India's influence in the strategically important region of the Indian Ocean," he said.

The second frigate Tamal will be the eighth ship of this project for the Indian Navy. Its construction is being carried out under a contract at the Kaliningrad shipyard of United Shipbuilding Corporation It is currently undergoing a series of tests in the Baltic Sea. 

The delivery of the ship to the Indian Navy is scheduled for 2025. Two other frigates from this series are being built as part of the joint project with Russia at Goa Shipyard Limited in India. The first ship is expected to be delivered to India in 2026, with the second following six months later.

By Naila Huseynova