Russian frigate built for India begins final trials

MOSCOW: The final trials of the last in a series of three frigates that will be handed over to India in June have begun in the Baltic Sea, a Russian official has said.

The frigate that Russia is building for India at the Yantar shipyard in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has started final trials, shipyard spokesman spokesman Sergei Mikhailov said yesterday.

The Trikand frigate carried out workup trials on March 14 and was cleared for final state trials on April 4, Mikhailov said, adding the trials will last through the end of April.

The frigate is due to be handed over to the Indian Navy this June, Mikhailov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying.

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.

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 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 (ASW) helicopter.