INS Tamal and Udaygiri: Indian Navy gets major boost amid Chinese muscle-flexing

INS Tamal was the last warship to be inducted from a foreign source in the backdrop of India’s push to achieve self-reliance in defence.

In a boost to its blue-water capabilities, the India Navy commissioned INS Tamal and got an indigenous stealth frigate delivered by Mazagon Docks (MDSL) on Tuesday.

INS Tamal was the last warship to be inducted from a foreign source in the backdrop of India’s push to achieve self-reliance in defence. Meanwhile, INS Udaygiri is the second stealth frigate under Project 17A. Both the 3,900-tonne frigate INS Tamal and the 6,670-tonne Udaygiri are packed with advanced sensors and weapons, including the BrahMos supersonic precision-strike cruise missiles.

“Both the multi-mission frigates, which have enhanced stealth features to reduce detection by enemy radars, pack a deadly punch augmented by their network-centric warfare capabilities,” a senior officer told Times of India.

Both INS Tamal and Udaygiri are reportedly capable of blue-water operations. According to reports, Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed and delivered by the Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau. INS Tamal, in turn, is the 51st ship produced under the India-Russia strategic collaboration over the last 65 years.

What is a blue-water navy?

A blue-water navy is essentially a naval force capable of transcending global sea control. The blue-water navy can function far away from its home ports and helps its country to establish themselves as a global maritime power. It consists of aircraft carriers, submarines, and large surface ships such as destroyers, frigates, cruisers, and replenishment ships.

“The ability to undertake distant operations distinguishes a blue-water navy from a brown-water force. It requires strong integral capacity, including logistics, surveillance, networked operations, etc., and enabling capability, including equipment design, training, doctrine and organisation,” stated the Indian Maritime Doctrine, 2015.

Currently, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Russia, and South Korea have blue-water navies.

How will Tamal and Udaygiri help?

INS Tamal and Udaygiri enter the maritime scene at a time when the Indian Navy aims at becoming self-reliant by 2047.

The development has also occurred amid China building up its navy, with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) expected to “grow to 395 ships by 2025 and 435 ships by 2030”, according to the Pentagon.

India views the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea as its backyard. However, China has been seeking to exert dominance over the Indian Ocean.

“The naval arms race between China and India is something that is inevitable,” said Commodore (retd) R.S. Vasan, director-general of the Chennai-based Centre of China Studies told The Week. “While India enjoys the advantages of maritime geography, China has excellent in-house capability to build warships, submarines and modern aircraft.”

China reportedly has the world’s largest navy, with more than 370 ships and submarines. With INS Tamal and Udaygiri, the Indian Navy is expected to uphold security and stability across the Indian Ocean Region. These measures also indicate that the Indian Navy has adopted a much more assertive position in the region with an eye on China.