Indian Ministry of Defence press release
The ships under construction at Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) are part of indigenous shipbuilding program being executed under Inter Governmental Agreement with Russian Side for construction of two advanced frigates for the Indian Navy. The contract was signed on 25 January 2019 between Ministry of Defence and Goa Shipyard Limited. Keel Laying is a major milestone activity in the construction of any ship symbolising formal commencement of the construction process. Keel for the first ship was laid on 29 Jan 2021. The first ship would be delivered in 2026 and second ship subsequently after 06 months.
The ceremony was held virtually in the presence of Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, Controller Warship Production & Acquisition (CWP&A), Cmde Sanjay Shrivastava, Cmde (SP), Cmde B B Nagpal (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, GSL, Directors, and other senior officials of the Indian Navy and GSL.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Vice Adm G Ashok Kumar appreciated the efforts put in by the Shipyard in achieving this milestone despite COVID constraints. He highlighted that it was for the first time that these vessels, with such technological complexity, were being constructed indigenously at GSL and marked an important milestone in our journey towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiative. He further added that a large number of major equipment are being substituted with indigenous equivalents, in addition to use of significant indigenous build material. The entire hulls of the ships are also being built with indigenous steel. He also highlighted major achievements of the Shipyard and commended the professionalism displayed by employees of GSL.
During his address, CMD-GSL highlighted various challenges faced by the Shipyard in executing this complex shipbuilding project. Despite challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic, the Shipyard continued the production activities with active support of employees and innovative solutions. He thanked the Indian Navy for their unstinted support and reiterated GSL’s commitment to cater for the requirement of Maritime Defence Forces through indigenous shipbuilding.
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About 1135.6 frigates
Also known as the Talwar class, the Project 1135.6 is a class of guided-missile frigates designed and built by Russia for the Indian Navy. A modification of the Krivak III-class frigates, the Project 1135.6 is fitted with a number of « Make in India » sub-systems.
In line with the country’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, these ships being constructed at M/s GSL (Goa) under Russian assistance will be the largest class of in-service ships showcasing indigenous equipment such as sonar system, Combat Management System etc.
The two follow-on Project 1135.6 frigates are to integrate the BrahMos cruise missile system in place of the 3M-54E Klub-N anti-ship missile and “advanced sensors”.
The Project 1135.6 warships are capable of reaching top speeds of 30 knots, have an endurance of around 30 days. They have a length of 124.8 meters and a displacement of about 4,000 tons. They are fitted with a flight deck to carry a helicopter for anti-submarine warfare missions.
The new frigates will deeply bolster Indian Navy capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as the service is dealing with a shortage of 10 frigates out of the 24 that it needs. The Indian Navy currently operates six Talwar-class frigates.
