Yantar Shipyard starts sea trials of INS Tarkash for Indian Navy
The second out of three ships being built for Indian Navy by Kaliningrad-based Yantar Shipyard – frigate INS Tarkash (F46) – has launched sea trials program, Rusnavy reported.
INS Tarkash (serial number 01355) is the second Project 11356 frigate out three-ship series ordered by India for its navy. The lead ship – INS Teg (F45) – was handed over to the customer on Apr 27, 2012 and is currently heading for her homebase Visakhapatnam.
All shipbuilding certificates were signed in time by May 24, and INS Tarkash moved for Baltiysk to Yantar's acceptance base. According to the ship's construction manager Sergei Schugorev, "the trials program is pretty eventful. The ship is to be delivered in October, so we have an array of works to do. We've made an hourly working plan for the first sortie; it includes tests of main propulsion plant, heading at different speeds, checking of stabilizers and life-support systems in service".
The ship will take the sea upon receiving of permission from Safe Navigation Inspectorate.
Project 11356 frigates were developed by JSC Severnoye Design Bureau and are built by Yantar Shipyard in accordance with the contract signed in July 2007. The agreement implies construction of three frigates of this project. INS Tarkash was laid down in Nov 2007, and the third frigate – INS Trikand (F47) – was keel-laid in June 2008. Cost of the full three-ship series is about $1.5 bln.