INS Tabar (F44)

INS Tabar at Bay of Port Louis, Mauritius, 2007
History
India
Name:	INS Tabar
Namesake:	"Battle axe"
Ordered:	17 November 1997
Laid down:	26 May 2000
Launched:	25 May 2001
Commissioned:	19 April 2004
Motto:	"Guts and Glory"
Status:	in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Talwar-class frigate
Displacement:	3,620 long tons (3,678 t) standard 4,035 long tons (4,100 t) full load
Length:	124.8 m (409 ft 5 in)
Beam:	15.2 m (49 ft 10 in)
Draught:	4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	2 × DS-71 cruise turbines (9,000 shp)) 2 × DT-59 boost turbines (19,500 shp)
Speed:	30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range:	4,850 nmi (8,980 km; 5,580 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) 1,600 nmi (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement:	180 (18 officers)
Armament:	Anti-air missiles: 24 × Shtil-1 medium range missiles 8 × Igla-1E (SA-16) Anti-ship/Land-attack missiles: 8 × VLS launched Klub, anti-ship cruise missiles Guns: 1 × 100 mm A-190E, naval gun 2 × Kashtan CIWS Anti-submarine warfare: 2 × 2 533 mm torpedo tubes 1 × RBU-6000 (RPK-8) rocket launcher
Aircraft carried:	1 × Ka-28 Helix-A, Ka-31 Helix B or HAL Dhruv helicopter

INS Tabar (F44) (translated as "Battle axe") is the third of the Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy. The frigate was commissioned on 19 April 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia. INS Tabar is the first vessel in the Talwar class to be armed with supersonic BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles. She is also equipped with Barak 1 missiles. The current Commanding Officer (CO) of Tabar is Capt Ashutosh Ridhorkar , an Anti Submarine Warfare specialist and graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and College of Warfare, Mhow.

After a 12 port commissioning cruise INS Tabar reached her home-port of Mumbai on 31 July 2004. Along with her sister ships INS Talwar ("sword" in Sanskrit) and INS Trishul ("trident" in Sanskrit), INS Tabar is assigned to Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command, head-quartered in Mumbai. INS Tabar is a well-equipped warship that has the ability to handle air/surface/sub-surface missions or defending herself operating either independently on maritime missions or supporting a larger naval task force.

In the recent times, the ship has visited various ports of the Persian Gulf on a goodwill mission and the visit was highly successful. The ship also participated in the International Fleet Review at Visakhapatnam. It recently visited Port Louis to participate in the Mauritius National Day celebrations.

INS Tabar's 28 officers and 232 sailors living conditions are similar to those on the Royal Australian Navy's Adelaide-class frigates. Fully loaded, INS Tabar has a displacement of 4,035 tons. The main engines of INS Tabar are the Zorya/Mashproekt M7N-1E gas turbine plant comprising two DS-71 cruise turbines (each rated up to 9,000 hp) and two DT-59 boost turbines. These power-plants move INS Tabar to 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). Her maximum range is 4,850 nautical miles (8,980 km; 5,580 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), while at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) the range lessens to 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi). One downside for INS Tabar and her sister ships is the amount of smoke her engines produce.