INS Talwar (F40)

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.

For other ships with the same name, see INS Talwar.

INS Talwar (F40) in 2020
History
India
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
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Talwar-class frigate
Displacement:
  • 3,620 tons standard,
  • 4,035 tons full load
Length: 124.8 m (409 ft)
Beam: 15.2 m (50 ft)
Draught: 4.5 m (15 ft)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × DS-71 cruise turbines; 9,000 hp forward and 1,500 bhp,
  • 2 × DT-59 boost turbines; 19,500 hp forward and 4,500 bhp
Speed: 30 knots (56 km/h)
Range:
  • 4,850 mi (7,810 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h),
  • 1,600 miles (2,600 km) at 30 knots (56 km/h),
Complement: 180 (including 18 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Surface Search; 1 x 3Ts-25E Garpun-B radar at I-band frequency, 1 x MR-212/201-1 radar at I-band frequency, 1 x Kelvin Hughes Nucleus-2 6000A radar and 1 x Ladoga-ME-11356 inertial navigation and stabilisation suite
  • Air/Surface Search; 1 x Fregat M2EM (NATO: Top Plate) 3D circular scan radar
  • Sonar; BEL APSOH (Advanced Panoramic Sonar Hull) hull-mounted sonar
Armament:
  • Anti-air missiles:
  • 24 × Shtil-1 medium range missiles
  • 8 × Igla-1E (SA-16)
  • Anti-ship/Land-attack missiles:
  • 8 × VLS launched Klub, anti-ship cruise missiles
  • Guns:
  • 1 × 100mm A-190E, naval gun
  • 2 × Kashtan CIWS
  • Anti-submarine warfare:
  • 2 × 2 533mm torpedo tubes
  • 1 × RBU-6000 (RPK-8) rocket launcher
Aircraft carried: 1 x Ka-28 Helix-A, Ka-31 Helix B or HAL Dhruv helicopter

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.

Design
Main article: Talwar-class frigate

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.

Construction

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.[1]

Service history

INS Talwar has been deployed around the Indian Ocean, making friendly visits at various ports.[2] She has also participated in various exercises including Malabar 2008 with the United States Navy,[3] and with the French Navy.[2]

Anti-piracy measures off the Somali coast

On 28 May 2009, INS Talwar, while escorting three merchant vessels - Maud, Southern Independence and Aramis. At around 10.20 GMT, while about 225 nautical miles (417 km) east of Aden, Talwar received a distress signal from 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 naval commandos on Prahar high-speed inflatables 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. Since the freighters were still in dangerous waters and needed escort, the frigate left the disarmed pirates to drift on the high seas after emptying their skiff's fuel tank and disabling it. The pirates were later arrested by warships from the global task force in a follow-up action.[4]

The ship is affiliated with the 16th Cavalry of the Indian Army and continues to be a frontline warship of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet[5]

References
  1. "Talwar Class Destroyer Project 11356". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  2. "India begins naval games with France, Africa". IBNLive. Press Trust of India. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  3. "Malabar 2008: India, United States Begin Arabian Sea Naval War Games from 20 October 2008". india-defence.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  4. "Indian warship prevents another hijack attempt in Gulf of Aden". Times of India. 30 May 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  5. "INS Talwar affiliated with 16th Light Cavalry". Zee News.
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