INS Trikand on sea trials, to be commissioned this summer

The last in a series of three frigates that Russia is building for India at the Yantar Shipyard in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has completed contractor sea trials, a spokesman for the shipyard said on Friday.

Sergei Mikhailov said the trials of The Trikand frigate in the Baltic Sea began on February 5 and were completed on March 14. “Within this period, the vessel carried out five voyages in the Baltic Sea, each lasting several days,” Mikhailov said.

The Trikand is currently at the Baltiisk port, preparing for state sea trials. It is scheduled to join the Indian Navy in the summer of 2013.

INS Trikand at launch ceremony ( Image Courtesy - rusembassy.in ) 

Russia and India signed a $1.6 billion contract on the construction of three modified Krivak III class (also known as Talwar class) guided missile frigates for India in 2006.

The first frigate, INS Teg, joined the Indian Navy on April 27, 2012, and the second, the Tarkash, arrived at the port of Mumbai in India on December 30, 2012. The frigates are each armed with eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.

They are also equipped with a 100-mm gun, a Shtil surface-to-air missile system, two Kashtan air-defense gun/missile systems, two twin 533-mm torpedo launchers and an antisubmarine warfare 

News Courtesy - rusembassy.in

INS Teg to be commissioned by April 2012

Indian Navy officers and seamen are familiarising themselves with INS Teg (Sabre), some 200 Indian seamen and officers have “settled” on INS Teg, the first of the three ships of the 11356 project. They have been introduced to the new frigate and have started familiarising themselves with its equipment under the guidance of their Russian counterparts.

At the end of the week, INS Teg, with a joint Russian-Indian crew, is scheduled to put to the Baltic Sea to complete its state sea trials, during which the Indian sailors will have their first experience in sailing this modern frigate.

After its return from the trials, procedure of transfering the frigate over to Indian Navy will get strarted. India plans to induct the ship as early as April 2012.

Image Courtesy - seawaves.com



The frigate left Yantar for the first time under its own steam in September 2011, the ship successfully test-fired the BrahMos, a modern Russia-Indian produced missile in its sea trials.

Image Courtesy - gentleseas.blogspot.com

The two remaining frigates of this series are INS Tarkash (Quiver) and INS Trikand (Bow), which are also nearing completion. Russia has built three ships of this class for the Indian Navy in 90's – INS Tabar (Axe), INS Trishul (Trident) and INS Talwar (Sword).