India and Russia signed a contract for the purchase of three additional Project 11356 Krivak IV-class guided missile frigates for the Indian Navy on July 14, 2006. Russia previously built three Krivak-class frigates - INS Talwar, INS Trishul and INS Tabar - for India, and delivered them all by the end of 2004.
"The Yantar Shipyard will hold an official ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of the third [Krivak-class] frigate for the Indian navy," a company spokesman said, adding that the work on the first two frigates was progressing according to schedule.
All three ships will be delivered to India by 2012. They will feature the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile system instead of the Club-N/3M54TE missile system, which was installed on the previous frigates.
The Krivak-class frigate has deadweight of 4,000 metric tons and speed of 30 knots, and is capable of accomplishing a wide range of missions in the sea, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.
