Russia Testing Frigate For Indian Navy

The Talvar (Sword) frigate, which was built at the Baltiisky ship-yard in St. Petersburg for the Indian navy, is to begin her trial run today. This was disclosed to RIA-NOVOSTI at the ship-yard's public-relations office. The new warship, which is crewed by Russian sailors, will spend about 14-21 days in the Gulf of Finland; the warship's main propulsion unit and other onboard systems will be checked in the process. After that, the ship's weaponry will be tested in the Baltic Sea; among other things, her crew will be shooting live ammunition. It's intended to complete the trial run in mid-January 2002, with state-acceptance tests commencing afterward. The client would be expected to receive this frigate in May 2002, that is, after acceptance tests are completed. The prototype Talvar frigate will be followed by two other similar warships, e.g. the Trishul (Trident) and the Tabar (Battle Axe) now being completed at the Baltiisky ship-yard. The Indian navy is to receive both frigates in November 2002 and May 2003, respectively.