The ship has been named ‘Tavasya’, after the mace of legendary warrior ‘Bhima’ from the ‘Mahabharata.’
The fourth and final frigate of the additional follow-on order of Project 1135.6 Talwar class frigates for the Indian Navy was launched at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), India.
The vessel, named Tavasya, is the second frigate of the Project 1135.6 follow-on order being built by GSL. The contract for building two Project 1135.6 Follow-on frigates in India was signed between India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) and GSL on January 25, 2019. The first ship by GSL, ‘Triput’, was launched on July 23, 2024.
The first two frigates of the follow-on order were built at Yantar Shipyard in Russia. India already operates six Project 1135.6 frigates, ordered in two batches of three each as the Talwar-class and Teg subclass. Along with the frigates being built in India, the project will result in “successful localization of critical components such as BrahMos missile system, torpedo launchers, sonar and auxiliary control systems,” an MoD press release stated.
The project has overcome various delays, with the first two ships from Russia once rescheduled to be delivered in 2023 being further delayed. The first ship INS Tushil was commissioned in December 2024 with the second frigate Tamala set to be scheduled in March 2025 according to a recent Standing Committee on Defence report. Triput and Tavasya are currently scheduled to be inducted in October 2026 and April 2027 respectively.
Recently, India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared procurement proposals for additional indigenous Varunastra heavyweight torpedoes and Russian Sthil surface to air missiles, which are reportedly for the four follow-on frigates.
These ships are designed for surface, sub-surface and air combat operations. The vessels are 124.8 m long and 15.2 m wide, with a draught of 4.5 m. The displacement is approximately 3600 tons with a maximum speed of 28 knots.
With a claimed indigenous content of over 56% compared to 25% for the frigates built in Russia, GSL is acquiring the capability to develop larger well armed frontline combatants through this project. The Navy considers Tamala, the second follow-on frigate built in Russia, to be the last warship the country will import. And all indications point towards that being the case, with the focus now on acquiring self-reliance through indigenization of propulsion, sensors and armament systems.
