![]() INS Talwar (F40) in 2020 | |
History | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Name | INS Talwar |
Namesake | "Sword" |
Ordered | 17 November 1997 |
Builder | Baltiysky Zavod |
Laid down | 10 March 1999 |
Launched | 12 May 2000 |
Commissioned | 18 June 2003 |
Status | in active service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Talwar-class frigate |
Displacement |
|
Length | 124.8 m (409 ft) |
Beam | 15.2 m (50 ft) |
Draught | 4.5 m (15 ft) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 30 knots (56 km/h) |
Range |
|
Complement | 180 (including 18 officers) |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Armament | |
Aircraft carried | 1 x Ka-28 Helix-A, Ka-31 Helix B or HAL Dhruv helicopter |
INS Talwar (F40) (translated as "Sword") is the lead ship of the Talwar-class frigates of the Indian Navy. Its name means "Sword" in Hindi (see Talwar). She was built in Russia, and commissioned into the Indian Navy on 18 June 2003.
Talwar is a multirole frigate and true to her name, has participated in various operations and exercises since her commissioning, including anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.
Talwar is the lead ship of her class of frigates. The Talwar-class guided missile frigates are modified Krivak III-class frigates built by Russia. Much of the equipment on the ship is Russian-made, but a significant number of systems of Indian origin have also been incorporated.
Talwar was built by the Baltiyskiy shipyard. She was launched in May 2000. Delivery to the Indian Navy was scheduled for May 2002 after running, state and acceptance trials. Sea trials were completed in the Baltic Sea on 29 May 2002. The ship was commissioned formally into the Indian Navy on 18 June 2003 by (later Vice Admiral) Satish Soni. INS Talwar arrived home at Mumbai's Naval Dockyard on 12 August 2003, after a long journey from St. Petersburg. [2]
The ship is affiliated with the 16th Light Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army and continues to be a frontline warship of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet [3]
INS Talwar has been deployed around the Indian Ocean, making friendly visits at various ports. [4] She has also participated in various exercises including Malabar 2008 with the United States Navy, [5] multinational maritime exercise ‘Cutlass Express 2021 (CE21) [6] and with the French Navy. [4]
On 28 May 2009 at around 10.20 GMT, while about 225 nautical miles (417 km) east of Aden, Talwar received a distress signal from a merchant vessel MV Maud about a skiff with eight armed persons on board approaching it at very high speed. The frigate immediately dispatched its Chetak helicopter armed with 7.62mm light machine guns which spotted pirates scrambling up a ladder hooked to MV Maud. The helicopter fired on the two pirates on the ladder and they fell into the sea. Simultaneously, the frigate sent its MARCOS team led by Ram Narain by high-speed inflatables boat to intercept the skiff. Six pirates were disarmed and their cache of Kalashnikov assault rifles, Katyushka rockets, a rocket launcher, flares and mobile phones were seized. The pirates were later arrested by warships from the global task force in a follow-up action. [7]
On 13th April 2024, INS Talwar intercepted a suspicious dhow in the western Arabian Sea and confiscated a staggering 940 kilograms of contraband narcotics. The seized contents included 453 kg of methamphetamines, 416 kg of hash and 71 kg of heroin . The frigate was part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 led focussed Operation Crimson Barracuda. The operation was carried out precisely by MARCOS of Indian Navy. The operation was a part of Operation Crimson Barracuda. [8] [9] [10]
The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates significantly in the Persian Gulf Region, the Horn of Africa, the Strait of Malacca, and routinely conducts anti-piracy operations and partners with other navies in the region. It also conducts routine two to three month-long deployments in the South and East China seas as well as in the western Mediterranean sea simultaneously.
INS Mysore is a Delhi-class guided-missile destroyer currently in active service with the Indian Navy.
The Talwar-class frigates or Project 11356 are a class of stealth guided missile frigates designed and built by Russia for the Indian Navy. The Talwar-class guided missile frigates are the improved versions of the Krivak III-class frigates used by the Russian Coast Guard. The design has been further developed as the Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate for the Russian Navy. Six ships were built in two batches between 1999 and 2013.
INS Trishul (F43) is the second frigate of the Talwar class of the Indian Navy. Trishul, the guided missile frigate, joined the arsenal of Indian Navy in 2003. The ship was commissioned by the then Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Arun Prakash at St. Petersburg, Russia on 25 June 2003. It has a complement of 32 officers and 228 sailors. In contrast to the lead ship INS Talwar, the sea trials of Trishul were considerably shortened as the ship performed well. Trishul arrived in Mumbai on 23 September 2003.
The Godavari-class frigates were guided-missile frigates of the Indian Navy. The Godavari class was the first significant indigenous warship design and development initiative of the Indian Navy. Its design is a modification of the Nilgiri class with a focus on indigenous content of 72%, a larger hull and updated armaments. The class and the lead ship, INS Godavari were named after the Godavari River. Subsequent ships in the class, INS Ganga and INS Gomati also took their names from Indian rivers.
INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. Named after the Indian city of Kolkata, she was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and was handed over to the navy on 10 July 2014 after completing her sea trials. The ship was officially commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremony held on 16 August 2014.
INS Tabar (F44) is the third of the Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy. The frigate was built by Baltiyskiy Zavod in St. Petersburg, Russia. The frigate was commissioned on 19 April 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia with Captain Biswajit Dasgupta. As of August 2024, the current Commanding Officer (CO) of INS Tabar is Captain MR Harish.
The Shivalik class or Project 17 class is a class of multi-role frigates in service with the Indian Navy. They are the first warships designed with low observability features built in India. They were designed to have better stealth features and land-attack capabilities than the preceding Talwar-class frigates. A total of three ships were built between 2000 and 2010, and all three were in commission by 2012.
Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 34-nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces and is based in Bahrain established to monitor, board, inspect, and stop suspect shipping to pursue the "War on Terror" and in the Horn of Africa region (HOA) includes operations in the North Arabia Sea to support operations in the Indian Ocean. These activities are referred to as Maritime Security Operations (MSO).
INS Godavari (F20) was the lead ship of her class of guided-missile frigates of the Indian Navy. Built by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai, she was the first Indian warship to be indigenously designed and built. She was commissioned on 10 December 1983, and decommissioned on 23 December 2015 after a 32-year career.
INS Satpura (F48) is a Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate built for the Indian Navy. This class is an improvement over the preceding Talwar-class frigates with increased stealth and land attack features.
INS Kochi (D64) is the second ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers built under the code name Project 15A for the Indian Navy. She was constructed by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. After undergoing extensive sea trials, she was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 30 September 2015.
INS Chennai (D65) is the third and last ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. She was constructed by the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) at Mumbai. On 17 April 2017, INS Chennai was dedicated to the city of Chennai in presence of then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, K. Palaniswamy.
INS Teg (F45) is the fourth Talwar-class frigate constructed for the Indian Navy. She was built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia, and was commissioned to Navy service on 27 April 2012. She is the first of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates to be completed.
INS Tarkash (F50) is the second Talwar-class frigate constructed for the Indian Navy. She is part of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates ordered by the Indian Navy. She was built at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. She was commissioned to Navy service on 9 November 2012 at Kaliningrad and joined the Western Naval Command on 27 December 2012.
INS Trikand (F51) is a Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy. She is the third and final ship of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates ordered by the Indian Navy. She was built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. She was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 29 June 2013.
INS Shakti (A57) is a Deepak-class fleet tanker in service with the Indian Navy. She was built by Fincantieri, an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste. She is the second and final ship of her class. Shakti, along with her predecessor Deepak, is one of the largest ships of the Indian Navy.
INS Sumitra is the fourth and last Saryu-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, designed and constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited. It is also the presidential yacht of India. It is designed to undertake fleet support operations, coastal and offshore patrolling, ocean surveillance and monitoring of sea lines of communications and offshore assets and escort duties.
INS Visakhapatnam is the lead ship and the first of the Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. The ship, commissioned on 21 November 2021, is one of the largest destroyers in service with the Indian Navy.
Operation Sankalp is the Indian Navy's initiative aimed at ensuring the security of the regional maritime domain. The term Sankalp originates from Sanskrit and signifies the concept of "Commitment". It aligns with the Indian Navy's objective of safeguarding India's shipping interests and trade routes.