Zorya-Mashproekt Gas Turbine Research and Development Complex, a state-owned enterprise, which is a part of Ukroboronprom State Concern, has signed a contract with India’s Goa Shipyard Limited for supply of two most up-to-date M7H2 units for the needs of the country’s Navy.

Turbo-power units shall be installed at new multi-purpose frigates, which will soon be built at the Indian shipyard. According to the contract, the first unit should be ready in December next year, the second one – in July 2023.

M7H2 units have an upgraded microprocessor control system, 58,000 horsepower and allow for the speed of 30 knots.

Goa Shipyard Limited is an Indian Government owned ship building company located on the West Coast of India at Vasco da Gama, Goa.

Over the past two weeks, Zorya-Mashproekt, Ukraine’s designer and manufacturer of marine and industrial gas turbine plants, has signed contracts with Indian customers totalling about 100 mln USD.

On November 20, 2018, Rosoboronexport signed a contract with Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) worth about $ 500 million to assist in the construction of two Russian Project 11356 frigates at GSL shipyard for the Indian Navy, with the transfer of licenses and technologies by the Russian side. This contract was in addition to the $ 1.2 billion contract signed in October 2018 by Rosoboronexport for the construction of two Project 11356 frigates in Russia at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad for the Indian fleet.

The steel cutting of the first frigate for India took place at GSL in September 2020. Keel laying for the second ship took place in June this year. The two frigate built in Russia (Yantar Shipyard) are to be handed over to the Indian fleet in 2022 and 2023. These two ships are in fact unfinished frigates originally intended for the Russian Navy – Admiral Butakov (serial number 01360) and Admiral Istomin (serial number 01361). The ships will now be known as Tushil and Tamala.

The Government of India signed a contract with GSL on January 25, 2019 for the construction of the next two frigates of Project 11356. The ships, which are being built with Russian assistance and with partial transfer of technology from Russia, are planned to be transferred to the Indian Navy. in June 2026 and December 2026, respectively.

About 1135.6 Frigates

In « a significant development in the indigenous shipbuilding », the Indian Ministry of Defence has issued four shipbuilding Requests for Proposal (RFP) amounting to US$2,175 billion for the acquisition of various vessels for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

The Indian Navy already operates six Talwar-class frigates. Also as the Project 1135.6, it is a class of guided-missile frigates designed and built by Russia. A modification of the Krivak III-class frigates, the Project 1135.6 Talwar-class is fitted with a number of « Make in India » sub-systems.

The two follow-on Project 1135.6 frigates are to integrate the BrahMos cruise missile system in place of the 3M-54E Klub-N anti-ship missile and “advanced sensors”.

The Project 1135.6 warships are capable of reaching top speeds of 30 knots, have an endurance of around 30 days. They have a length of 124.8 meters and a displacement of about 4,000 tons. They are fitted with a flight deck to carry a helicopter for anti-submarine warfare missions.

The new frigates will deeply bolster Indian Navy capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as the service is dealing with a shortage of 10 frigates out of the 24 that it needs.