Indian Navy's Russia-manufactured guided missile frigate INS Tushil has set sail from the coastal Russian city of Kaliningrad to India.
The warship was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Kaliningrad in presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 9.
The 3900 tonne ship with a length of 125 metres packs a lethal punch and is an impressive blend of Russian and Indian cutting-edge technologies and best practices in warship construction.
The warship is expected to significantly bolster the Indian Navy's operational capability in the Indian Ocean, a region that has witnessed increasing forays by China's PLA Navy in the last few years.
"INS Tushil, the latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate of the Indian Navy, set sail from Kaliningrad, Russia for India on December 17, marking the beginning of her maiden operational deployment," the Indian Navy said on Thursday.
The ship will traverse the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and finally the Indian Ocean, making port calls at several friendly foreign countries along the way.
"The ship will carry out joint patrolling and maritime partnership exercises with a number of navies en route, including piracy hotspots in the region," the Navy said in a statement.
It said the ship will undertake capability-building activities with host navies during her port calls.
"The port calls and exercises are aimed at consolidating India's maritime cooperation with littoral countries of the region and reinforcing Indian Navy's commitment to protecting and safeguarding the seafaring community," it added.
INS Tushil has been constructed in Russia as part of an over USD 2.5-billion deal that New Delhi had inked with Moscow in 2016 for four stealth frigates for the Indian Navy.
Under the deal, two ships were to be built in Russia, while the other two were to be manufactured in India.
Officials said INS Tushil's new design provides it with enhanced stealth features and better stability characteristics.
With the collaboration of Indian naval specialists and Severnoye Design Bureau, the indigenous content of the ship has been enhanced to an impressive 26 per cent, they said.
INS Tushil is joining the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy and will rank amongst the most technologically advanced frigates in the world, the officials said.
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