INS Talwar (F40)

INS Talwar  (F40) is the lead ship of the Talwar class frigates of the Indian Navy. Its name means "Sword" in Hindi (see Talwar). She was built in Russia, and commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2003.

The Talwar is a multirole stealth frigate and has participated in various operations and exercises since her commissioning, including anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.

Design
Talwar is the lead ship of her class of frigates. The Talwar class guided missile frigates are modified Krivak III class frigates built by Russia. These ships use stealth technologies and a special hull design to ensure a reduced radar cross section. Much of the equipment on the ship is Russian-made, but a significant number of systems of Indian origin have also been incorporated.

Construction
The Talwar was built by the Baltiyskiy shipyard. She was launched in May 2000. Delivery to the Indian Navy was scheduled for May 2002 after running, state and acceptance trials. Sea trials were completed in the Baltic Sea on 29 May 2002. Acceptance trials revealed a number of defects which needed to be rectified. The Talwar was finally handed over to the Indian Navy in St. Petersburg in a formal commissioning ceremony on 18 June 2003, after all problems were identified and remedied. INS Talwar arrived home at Mumbai's Naval Dockyard on 12 August 2003, after a long journey from St. Petersburg.

Acceptance Trials
Acceptance trials, carried out during June 2002, revealed several defects in the underwater hull and in the weapon systems including missiles. The Delivery Acceptance Team (DAT) appointed by the Indian defence ministry, recommended commissioning of the ship only after proving all weapon systems. According to media reports, the Shtil-1 SAM system, an export version of the SA-N-12 "Grizzly", had been unable to hit any airborne targets during trial firings. This was due to integration problems between the combat management and weapons systems. This resulted in the Indian Navy not taking delivery of the vessel. In July 2002, Government of Russia appointed an Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) for analysis of all problems connected with the delivery acceptance of missiles.

The Indian defence ministry sanctioned the expatriation of a crew of 28 officers and 225 sailors to Russia from 11 April to 10 June 2003 for the commissioning of the ship. The ship was finally commissioned on 18 June 2003. This needed extension of deputation of the crew by 35 to 38 days. The expenditure of Rs 6.24 crore on the crew from 11 April 2003 to 18 June 2003 was avoidable as training was already completed in July 2002.

Service history
INS Talwar has been deployed around the Indian Ocean, making friendly visits at various ports. She has also participated in various exercises including Malabar 2008 with the US Navy, and with the French Navy.

2006 accident damaging sonar dome
In May 2006, the INS Talwar accidentally dropped its anchor on its own anti-submarine sonar dome and had to be rushed for repairs to restore its anti-submarine capabilities.

Anti-piracy measures off the Somali coast
On 28 May 2009, INS Talwar, while escorting three merchant vessels - Maud, Southern Independence and Aramis. At around 10.20 GMT, while about 225 nmi east of Aden, she received a distress signal from Maud about a skiff with eight armed persons on board approaching it at very high speed. The frigate immediately dispatched its Chetak helicopter armed with 7.62mm light machine guns which spotted pirates scrambling up a ladder hooked to MV Maud. The helicopter fired on the two pirates on the ladder and they fell into the sea. Simultaneously, the frigate sent its naval commandos on Prahar high-speed inflatables to intercept the skiff. Six pirates were disarmed and their cache of Kalashnikov assault rifles, Katyushka rockets, a rocket launcher, flares and mobile phones were seized. Since the freighters were still in dangerous waters and needed escort, the frigate left the disarmed pirates to drift on the high seas after emptying their skiff's fuel tank and disabling it. The pirates were later arrested by warships from the global task force in a follow-up action.