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INS Tamal, the Indian Navy's new stealth frigate, is armed with Russia’s advanced Shtil-1 missile system using 9M317ME SAMs. It offers a 50-km range, rapid launch, and robust anti-air defense.
New Delhi: Indian Navy’s newly commissioned stealth frigate INS Tamal will be equipped with the improved variant of the Shtil missile (Shtil-1) to augment its anti-air defence capabilities.
Talking about the new missile system, sources from Russia said: “The Russian Shtil-1 ship-borne, medium-range, multi-channel, vertical-launch Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system uses a fundamentally new 9M317ME missile, the latest digital technology and software.”
In comparison to the old variant, the surface to air missile system offers enhanced performance with an inclined launch of missiles.
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“The system offers all-around defence for both ship squadrons and convoys, as well as for the individual ship it is installed on. It protects against threats such as enemy anti-ship missiles, aircraft, helicopters, boats, and other ships.”
“What makes the missile system a powerful weapon is its rapid firing capability – it can launch missiles at intervals of just 2 to 3 seconds," the sources added.
“It carries a basic load of 24 missiles and has a significantly greater range than the older version of the Shtil missile.”
In the Baltic Sea, the Shtil-1 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system with 9M317ME SAMs were successfully test fired from Tamal before formally being handed over to the Indian Navy.
Developed by Russian Almaz-Antey, the Shtil-1 SAM system, which travels at a speed of Mach 4+, has a range up to 50-km and can engage targets from 5-m to 15-20-km in altitude. The system is also fitted aboard Indian Navy’s Talwar-class frigates.
It should be noted that INS Tamal is the eighth ship that Rosoboronexport handed over to the Indian Navy. In December 2024, it delivered INS Tushil to the navy.
In collaboration with Indian partners, Russia is also modernizing the older version – Kashmir ship-borne SAM systems, delivered to India since the late 1990s and installed on Project 15 Delhi class destroyers.
INS Tamal’s armament also includes 100-mm and 30-mm artillery systems and electronic warfare equipment designed to counter drones and unmanned boats. The frigate also incorporates a reinforced helipad for the Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopter and has an operational range of 4,850 miles, with an endurance of 30 days at sea.