Search the Internet          Tips

Stealth frigates to be delivered to India by the year-end

Russia is expected to deliver by the end of 2002 two state-of-the-art Krivak class stealth frigates to India, which has been specially designed for its navy, official sources said on Wednesday.

India had signed the deal for the purchase of the three 4000-tonner frigates in November 1997.

Tailored to meet the Indian Navy's growing requirements, the frigates with stealth features were designed by Russia's leading 'Severnoye Ship Designing Bureau' and are being built at the Baltiisky Zavod in St Petersburg.

A Russian naval crew has began the trail sailing of the second Indian frigate Trishul and is to proceed with the pre-delivery testing of its navigation and weapon systems till August-end in Baltiisk (Kaliningrad) naval base on the Baltic Sea.

Earlier this spring, in the course of trials of first frigate Talwar the Russian navy had displayed its formidable might to scores of NATO warships involved in war games in the region.

All the three frigates for the Indian Navy -- Talwar, Trishul and Tabar -- are armed with Club-N anti-ship cruise missiles and Shtil-1 multi-channel anti-missile air defence systems and anti-submarine weapons.

PTI

Tell us what you think of this report