Combat Fleets

On 27 April India commissioned the first of a new batch of Talwar -class frigates. The INS Teg was built by the Russian shipyard Yantar at Kaliningrad; she is a modified version of the three older Russian-built Talwar -class frigates that joined the Indian fleet during 2003–04. While the first three frigates of the class carry Klub-N antiship missiles, the Batch II units, which include the Teg as well as the yet-to-commission sisters Tarkash and Trikand , are designed to carry Brahmos antiship missiles, which reportedly have a secondary land-attack capability. All members of the 4,000-ton, 125-meter Talwar class can trace their hull design and propulsion system to the 1960s-vintage Krivak-class frigates. The current ships, however, have an entirely new superstructure, shaped to reduce radar returns and sometimes described as providing partial stealth capabilities. The acquisition of three additional units of the class is currently under consideration by the Indian Navy.