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The Indian Talwar Class Frigates - The Edge of the Sword World Naval Ships Forums Archive

The Indian Talwar Class Frigates - The Edge of the Sword

Posts 1 to 17

G'Day All Before I start this, yes I have written a bit about the TABAR in 'My Pics' Thread. The difference between that and here is this is a professional article, while the 'My Pics' post was personal observations.:) Now...This was a published article in 'The Navy' magazine of the Australian Navy League. This is the unedited version. I took all the photographs. Hope you enjoy it [CENTER][B]The Edge of the Sword[/B] The TAWLAR Class[/CENTER] A cold morning on 15 June 2006 saw the Talwar Class frigate INS TABAR (F-44) arrived in Fremantle. Her visit continues the growing relationship between Canberra and New Delhi, on both the Government and Military levels. TABAR’s 2006 Oceania Deployment saw the Indian frigate visit Sydney and several Pacific nations. Prior to arriving in Fremantle TABAR headed Indian relief efforts for the Yogyakarta earthquake when she delivered relief supplies to Jakarta, Indonesia, on 6 June 2006. Commanded by Captain Harish Bisht IN, TABAR is manned by 259 officers and sailors. The ship’s name means ‘Battle Axe’ in Sanskrit and its motto is ‘Guts and Glory’. [B]GENESIS [/B] With declining hull numbers after the removal from service in the 1990’s of its aging British built Leander class frigates, the Indian Navy began designing a class of indigenous multi-role frigates. This is the Nilgiri class (Project 17) under construction at Mazagon Dockyard in Mumbai. Until the Nilgiri class enter service, the Indian and Russian Government began negotiations for three modified Krivak III class frigates. They were to be built in Russian shipyards, with Indian and Russian weapons and electronics. The contract was signed on 17 November 1997 for $1 billion (US). [B]THE CLASS[/B] Project 1135.6, or as it became known, the Talwar class, was the sixth modification of the Severnoye Design Bureau’s (SDU) Krivak class frigates built for the Soviet Navy in the 1980’s. In late 1997 SDU began design modifications of the three ships to Indian requirements. Shipbuilder Baltisky Zavod of St. Petersburg began construction on TALWAR 10 March 1999. ntegrating Indian and Russian systems was problematic as TALWAR (F-40) discovered during sea trials in November 2001. A wide rage of defects, ranging from hull, engine, equipment integration, and the failure of the Shtil-1 SAM system to engage airborne targets, forced shipbuilder Baltisky Zavod to delay TALWAR’s May 2002 delivery. After 13 months nearly all the problems were fixed as INS TALWAR commissioned as part of the Indian Navy on 18 June 2003. The lessons learnt on building TALWAR flowed onto sister ships TRISHUL (F-43) and TABAR (F-44), delayed seven months and 11 months respectively. Failure to meet the contract deadlines forced Baltisky Zavod to pay India a stipulated levy for the delays of $38.5 million (US). [B]DESIGN [/B] The modifications of the Krivak III design as the Talwar class were extensive. Designed with some stealth features, they were the first Indian warships to incorporate a Vertical Launch System. With additional weapon systems and steel being replaced by light alloys the weight increased by 600 tons to just over 4000 tons for each ship. TABAR’s displacement is 4035 tons fully loaded and is 124.8 metres in length. TABAR’s 28 officers and 232 sailors living conditions are similar to those on the RAN’s Adelaide class frigate. The main engines of TABAR are the Zorya/Mashproekt M7N-1E gas turbine plant comprising two DS-71 cruise turbines (each rated up to 9000 hp) and two DT-59 boost turbines. These powerplants move TABAR to 30 knots. Her maximum range is 4850 miles at 14 knots, while at 30 knots the rage lessens to 600 miles. [B]WEAPONS [/B] TABAR’s weapons suite is formidable. The surface to air weapons systems include one single-rail MS-196 launcher that can launch the long range Shtil-1 (NATO: SA-17) surface to air missile. Eight Igla-1E (NATO: SA-16) portable air defence missiles are onboard for short-range threats. TABAR became the third Indian warship to incorporate an eight cell KBSM 3S-14NE Vertical Launcher and was the first to upload the new Indian/Russian designed missile, the supersonic BrahMos PJ-10 ASCM (anti-sub/ship/surface cruise missile). TABAR’s VLS can launch the Indian designed 3M-54E Klub-N (NATO: SS-N-27) subsonic ASCM. TABAR has one 100-mm A-190 (E) Dual Purpose Gun mount for surface and air targets. Its rate of fire is 60 rounds a minute at a range of 15km. Two Kashtan Air Defence Gun/Missile mounts are TABAR’s Close In Weapons System (CIWS). The Kashtan CIWS has two GSh-30k 30mm gatling guns per mount firing 1000 rounds a minute, along with eight 9M-311 Grison missiles (NATO: SA-N-11) with a range of 8 km. There are 64 Grison reloads (32 each mount) with a package of four missile taking less than 2 minutes to load. Forward of TABAR’s bridge and aft of the VLS is one 12-round RBU-6000 anti-submarine warfare rocket launch that can fire either Splav-90R rockets or RGB-60 depth charges. Two pairs of fixed 533-mm DTA-53 torpedo tubes are located port and starboard midships. Both can launch either SET-65E anti-sub and 53-65KE antiship torpedoes. [B]SENSORS[/B] Controlling this array of weapons is the Trebovaniye-M combat information and control system that can control all of TABAR’s weapons as well as using situation analysis to generate combat missions. The combat system can transmit data and process information from up to 250 sources. With a range of nearly 300km, the Fregat M2EM (NATO: Top Plate) 3D radar is TABAR’s air/surface radar. The M2EM system features continuous scanned arrays along with providing targeting information for the Shtil-1 missile system. One 3Ts-25E Garpun-B radar unit is utilised for long-range surface search and target acquisition. TABAR is also equipped with two navigation radars. TABAR’s fire control is the Ratep JSC 5P-10E Puma fire control system. The Puma uses phased array and target tracking radar along with laser and TV devices. The Puma can operate autonomously with the ability of automatically detecting, locking on, and tracking four targets at once. TABAR’s sonar is the BEL APSOH (Advanced Panoramic Sonar Hull) hull-mounted sonar. The APSOH sonar has active ranging, passive listening, and auto tracking of targets. For countermeasures TABAR includes the Russian TK-25E-5 electronic warfare suite and 120mm chaff and infrared decoy rounds fired by four KT-216 launchers. [B]AIR OPERATIONS[/B] For her deployment TABAR had a Ka-31 Helix-B AEW helicopter embarked from Indian Naval Air Squadron 339 ‘Falcons’ Squadron in Mumbai. With a flight crew of 2, the KA-31 has a speed of 143 knots and a maximum ceiling of 6,000 metres. Its range is a maximun of 540 nautical miles and can remain airborne for 4.5 hours. The Ka-31’s airborne early warning radar is the E-801M Oko (Eye), a 6x1 meter planar array located beneath the fuselage. The radar unfolds during flight and has the ability to detect up to 200 targets while simultaneously track up to 20 airborne or surface threats from a range of 115 km from an altitude of nearly 10,000 ft. Information gathered can be transmitted via an encoded data-link to a ship or shore command post. [B]HISTORY[/B] TABAR was commissioned on 19 April 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia. After a 12 port commissioning cruise TABAR reached her homeport of Mumbai 31 July 2004. Along with her sister ships TALWAR (Sword in Sanskrit) and TRISHUL (Trident in Sanskrit), TABAR is assigned to Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command, Headquartered in Mumbai. TABAR’s Oceanic Deployment saw the frigate visit New Zealand and Tonga before visiting Fiji. While in Fiji TABAR conducted a series of exercises in Suva harbour with the Republic of Fiji patrol boats RFNS Kula (201) and RFNS Kiro (203). TABAR’s last ports of call were Papua New Guinea and Singapore before arriving in Mumbai in September 2006. [B]CONCLUSION[/B] The Talwar class is another example of Russian/Indian co-operation or lack thereof. The delays on this project seem to be the norm rather than the exception with similar delays in other Indian/Russian efforts. But the end result is what matters. TABAR is a well-equipped warship that has the ability to handle air/surface/sub-surface missions or defending herself operating either independently on maritime missions or supporting a larger naval task force. The only downside for TABAR and her sister ships is the amount of smoke her engines produce! It would make visual reconnaissance by an aggressor easier to locate the TABAR, but engaging the ‘Battle Axe’ in combat would be a dangerous mission for any navy. Note: The Author would like to thank Captain Harish Bisht (CO INS Tabar) Captain Sudarshan Shikhande IN (Indian Defence Attaché, Canberra) Lt Hanumani Gupta IN, (Gunnery Officer INS TABAR) and the officers & crew of INS TABAR for their assistance in this article.
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Hhmmm....wonder if daa rooshunnz used this as the basis/starting point for the design of their new Gorshkov class "stealthy" frigate? DFO
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G'Day All [QUOTE=designeraccd;25031]Hhmmm....wonder if daa rooshunnz used this as the basis/starting point for the design of their new Gorshkov class "stealthy" frigate? DFO[/QUOTE] Hi Designeraccd, between the Russians and the Chinese ability to adapt and modifiy western designs, who knows what idea came from where? I can see at least 5 seperate ideas from five different countries. The warship evolution continues...

G'Day All INS Tabar has just sunk what is believed to be the Somali Pirates mothership. You can read about it at... [url]http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indian_Navy_destroys_Somali_pirate_ship/articleshow/3731104.cms[/url]

Too bad, per latest MSM reports, that some (or all?) of the vermin on board were allowed to putt away in the small boats the "mothership" was towing. If so..they will soon be back...wonderful: NOT. DFO :mad:

Hooray for India! I hope they were not allowed to "putput away." I don't know what an appropriate politically correct disposition of them would be. My recommendation is hung from the yardarm!

Or maybe keel haul...3 or 4 times, under a supertanker! One of our "accurate" 24 hour cable "news" channels reported that one of 2 boats did get away. As I write this cnn is reporting on the "shocking" story again...well, it is shocking: that NO concerted punitive action is occurring...........DFO :mad:

G'Day All [QUOTE=designeraccd;26753]Or maybe keel haul...3 or 4 times, under a supertanker! One of our "accurate" 24 hour cable "news" channels reported that one of 2 boats did get away. As I write this cnn is reporting on the "shocking" story again...well, it is shocking: that NO concerted punitive action is occurring...........DFO :mad:[/QUOTE] Man, keelhauling with a supertanker! Never though about it, but the punishment must fit the crime. If the mothership was taken out, then the ability to hit targets far from shore is taken away. It looks like the Indians are sending Tabar's sister ship Tawlar to assist, and bringing along some troops for support. Tawlar means Sword in Sanskrit, so maybe the Indians are negotiating like the Japanese Warrior Musashi Miyamoto. 'Negotiate with your sword at your enemy's throat!':D Just a thought!

As the first, obnoxious #1 said in The Cruel Sea: "GOOD-OH"! I'm afraid sinking one of the "motherships" isn't exactly like taking out the Moskva (oopzz, I mean a CG!!!): many more tubs where that one came from.......DFO :eek:

G'Day All That's what the ammunition lockers are for! Tabar's 100mm gun is hungry for more, so my Indian friends tell me! If the pirates want to continue being stupid, the Indians will show them what stupid costs. But I like the Russian idea of land operations to wipe them all out.

It is always best to "address" the SOURCE of a problem...and destroying the land bases and vermin in them, while it wouldn't be "easy"...could indeed solve the problem. Trying to stamp these roaches out over a few million square miles of sea is very iffy no matter how many warships are put there. If I remember my USMC history that was why we hit Tripoli after one U.S. ship to many was taken. DFO Oh boy...itzz SNOWING again; 6" to 10" of Lake Effect is predicted. How lucky is that??!

G'Day [QUOTE=designeraccd;26849]It is always best to "address" the SOURCE of a problem...and destroying the land bases and vermin in them, while it wouldn't be "easy"...could indeed solve the problem. Trying to stamp these roaches out over a few million square miles of sea is very iffy no matter how many warships are put there. If I remember my USMC history that was why we hit Tripoli after one U.S. ship to many was taken. DFO Oh boy...itzz SNOWING again; 6" to 10" of Lake Effect is predicted. How lucky is that??![/QUOTE] Too true Designeraccd! Don't freeze!:)

Yea, easy for you to say as itzz SUMMER down under! Guess my bikes and Miata will be sitting while my snow blower will be getting used...NUTZZ! Hhmmm, one of the news channels is talking about the fact that the ship with the x-Russian tanks on board...is still being HELD. Meanwhile we do nothing............DFO :eek:

Oops! 'Pirate' ship was fishing trawler. Looks like the pirate "mother ship" sunk last week by the Indian navy was actually a Thai fishing trawler seized hours earlier by pirates. The Indian navy has defended its actions, saying it fired in self-defence. Still, I agree, something has to be done to wipe the pirates out completely, e.g. by eliminating their shore bases.

"TARKASH" the latest 11356 for INDIA launched recently......:cool:
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That's quite an assembly of "trollies" to move her! NOTE the next one behind her in the construction "barn"! DFO :D

Sure is ! There's also the IVAN GREN not that far away......CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS? :cool:

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