Handover of the Project 11356 Tushil frigate to the Indian Navy, December 9, 2024 / Open-source photo
The contract for the supply of these ships has lasted for six years and is yet to see its finish
On December 9, 2024, the Yantar Shipyard in russia’s Kaliningrad Region officially handed over the Project 11356 frigate, named Tushill, to the Indian Navy. This marks the seventh ship of its kind delivered to India, with another vessel, Tamala, still under construction, Naval News reports.
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Defense Express adds, Tushill is similar in design to the Project 11356 frigates used by russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which have been employed in missile strikes against Ukraine. These ships can carry up to eight missiles in vertical launch systems.
However, in the case of the Indian order, some systems have been customized with Indian-made equipment, and there is still ambiguity regarding the power plant used on the ships.
The contract for the two frigates is significant, valued at $1.2 billion, or roughly $600 million per ship. But the deal has faced multiple delays, an almost traditional issue for russia’s defense exports.
The contract was signed in 2018, but the original timeline stipulated that Tushill would be delivered in 2023 and Tamala in 2024. These deadlines have since shifted by a year, with Tushill only now being delivered and Tamala expected to follow in 2025 at the earliest.
Hulls of unfinished Project 11356 frigates at the Yantar Shipyard which were later sold to India / Open-source photo
Notably, Tushill and Tamala were not originally intended for the Indian Navy. They were initially planned as additions to russia’s Black Sea Fleet, but construction was frozen in 2016. The reason was simple: engines for this class of ships had been supplied from the Ukrainian company Zorya-Mashproekt which severed the ties following russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.
Rather than leaving the ships unfinished, russia decided to sell them to India, with the agreement signed in 2018. This sale added to India’s existing fleet of six Project 11356 frigates, delivered in two batches between 2003–2004 and 2012–2013.
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