The Indian Navy has commissioned its latest stealth frigate, INS Tamal (F71), at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. The ceremony was held in the presence of Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, along with several senior officials from the Indian and Russian Navies and governments.

INS Tamal is the eighth warship under Project 1135.6 and the second vessel of the follow-on Tushil class. Its predecessor, INS Tushil, was inducted in December 2024. All ships in this series are part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet. The newly commissioned frigate is commanded by Captain Sridhar Tata, an expert in gunnery and missile warfare.

The commissioning ceremony opened with a joint Guard of Honour from the crew of INS Tamal and Russia’s Baltic Fleet. It was formally inaugurated by Andrey Sergeyevich Puchkov, Director General of United Shipbuilding Corporation. Mikhail Babich, Deputy Director General of Russia’s Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation, highlighted the deepening maritime cooperation between the two nations. Vice Admiral Rajaram Swaminathan, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, said the induction of Tamal reflected the strength of the Indo-Russian strategic partnership. He noted that the vessel is the 51st ship produced through Indo-Russian collaboration in the past 65 years and commended shipyard workers and OEMs from both countries for their contributions to India’s Make in India initiative.