India's sea dominance gets BrahMos-powered INS Tamal boost: All about this new stealth giant

INS Tamal, the Indian Navy's newest stealth frigate commissioned in Russia, boosts maritime strength with cutting-edge Indo-Russian technology and BrahMos missiles.

New Delhi: Indian Navy on Tuesday commissioned INS Tamal at Kaliningrad-based Yantar Shipyard in Russia, which is the second of the additional follow-on Tushil class of ships inducted into the force in December 2024.

Commissioned in the presence of Western Naval Commander Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, INS Tamal is the eighth multi-role stealth frigate in the series of Project 1135.6 and also renowned for their dependability and prowess.

Until now, all seven predecessors of INS Tamal have been inducted into the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet — famously known as ‘The Sword Arm’ of the force. The newly commissioned vessel will be led by Captain Sridhar Tata, a seasoned expert in gunnery and missile warfare.

During the commissioning ceremony, Russia’s Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation Deputy Director General Mikhaeeiilv Babich spoke about the maritime technological cooperation between the Indian and Russian navies and its growing future trajectory.

V Adm R Swaminathan, Controller Warship Production and Acquisition, who was also present during the ceremony, highlighted the commissioning of Tamal as symbolic of the strategic partnership between India and Russia.

“It also exemplifies the collaborative strength and the ability to dovetail technologies of both nations into one combat platform.”

INS Tamal is the 51st ship produced under this collaborative effort in the past 65 years.

Following the formal transfer of the ship to the Indian Navy, the Russian Navy flag was lowered, and the Commissioning Warrant—issued by the Chief of the Naval Staff—was read out to the Commanding Officer. This was followed by the hoisting of the Indian Naval ensign and the ship’s commissioning pennant, marking INS Tamal’s official induction into active service.

“The pennant will remain aflutter till the time the ship remains in commission,” an Indian Navy PRO Captain Vivek Madhwal said.

In his address, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh stated that INS Tamal joins the illustrious list of Talwar, Teg, and Tushil class of ships.

“The commissioning of versatile platforms like INS Tamal enhances the Indian Navy's reach, responsiveness, and resilience," he said. "I am confident that the ship will prove its mettle as a force multiplier in our operational architecture, towards safeguarding national maritime interests and promoting maritime security.”

Packed with Firepower: BrahMos, Shtil-1 and Full-Spectrum Warfare Capabilities

INS Tamal features 26 percent indigenous components, notably the BrahMos long-range cruise missile and the Humsa-NG sonar system. 

The upcoming construction of the next two ships of this class in India will further expand the scope for harnessing mutual strengths and deepening Indo-Russian defence collaboration.

Captain Madhwal said that INS Tamal is a formidable moving fortress at sea and is designed for blue water operations across the spectrum of naval warfare in all four dimensions ie. air, surface, underwater and electromagnetic.

Launched on February 24, 2022, Tamal sailed for her maiden sea trials in November 2024, and completed an exhaustive schedule of Factory Trials State Committee Trials and the Delivery Acceptance Trials, both in harbour and at sea, by June 2025.

“The ship has successfully carried out trial firing of all her Russian weapon systems including the vertical launched surface to air missile Shtil-1, artillery weapons and torpedos.”

Designed for Dominance: Future-Ready Systems, Indigenous Tech, and Blue Water Reach

Tamal punches well above her weight with dual role BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, vertically launched surface to air missile with extended ranges, the standard 30-mm close in weapon system, the 100-mm main gun and very potent anti-submarine warfare (ASW) rockets and heavyweight torpedoes.

Tamal is an amalgamation of Indian and Russian technologies with a host of state of the art communication and network centric operational capabilities.

The complement of advanced electronic warfare suite and advanced EO/IR systems adds ears and eyes to this potent platform.

The highly versatile combat management system fuses all weapons and sensors in to an effective fighting machine.

The ship is also capable of embarking the upgraded Anti-submarine and Airborne Early Warning helicopters, the Kamov 28 and Kamov 31, which are formidable force multipliers.

The ship has been equipped with complex automated systems for nuclear, biological and chemical defence, including damage control and fire-fighting that can be operated centrally from sheltered posts.

INS Tamal is manned by a crew of about 250 sailors and 26 officers.

The ship will soon embark on her maiden passage back to her homeport of Karwar in Karnataka.