Keel of India’s Second Talwar-Class Frigate Laid

Keel of the second frigate of the Indian Navy’s Talwar-class (Project 1135.6) class of guided-missile frigates was laid on Saturday.

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 six months.

The Project 1135.6 warship is a modification of Russian Krivak III-class frigate. It is fitted with a number of Indian-made sub-systems. It is armed with the A-190 100mm gun, air defense missile systems, including the Kalibr-NK (NATO reporting name: SS-N-27 Sizzler) and the Shtil (SA-N-12 Grizzly) complexes, and torpedo tubes. It is expected to be integrated BrahMos cruise missiles. The ship can carry a Kamov Ka-27 (Helix-A) helicopter or its versions.