INS Talwar (F40)

INS Talwar  (F40) (translated as "Sword") is the lead ship of the Talwar-class frigates of the Indian Navy. Its name means "Sword" in Hindi (see Talwar). She was built in Russia, and commissioned into the Indian Navy on 18 June 2003.

Talwar is a multirole frigate and true to her name, has participated in various operations and exercises since her commissioning, including anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.

Design
Talwar is the lead ship of her class of frigates. The Talwar-class guided missile frigates are modified Krivak III-class frigates built by Russia. Much of the equipment on the ship is Russian-made, but a significant number of systems of Indian origin have also been incorporated.

Operational history
Talwar was built by the Baltiyskiy shipyard. She was launched in May 2000. Delivery to the Indian Navy was scheduled for May 2002 after running, state and acceptance trials. Sea trials were completed in the Baltic Sea on 29 May 2002. The ship was commissioned formally into the Indian Navy on 18 June 2003 by (later Vice Admiral) Satish Soni. INS Talwar arrived home at Mumbai's Naval Dockyard on 12 August 2003, after a long journey from St. Petersburg.

The ship is affiliated with the 16th Light Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army and continues to be a frontline warship of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet

Service history
INS Talwar has been deployed around the Indian Ocean, making friendly visits at various ports. She has also participated in various exercises including Malabar 2008 with the United States Navy, multinational maritime exercise ‘Cutlass Express 2021 (CE21) and with the French Navy.

Anti-piracy measures off the Somali coast
On 28 May 2009 at around 10.20 GMT, while about 225 nmi east of Aden, Talwar received a distress signal from a merchant vessel MV Maud about a skiff with eight armed persons on board approaching it at very high speed. The frigate immediately dispatched its Chetak helicopter armed with 7.62mm light machine guns which spotted pirates scrambling up a ladder hooked to MV Maud. The helicopter fired on the two pirates on the ladder and they fell into the sea. Simultaneously, the frigate sent its MARCOS team led by Ram Narain by high-speed inflatables boat to intercept the skiff. Six pirates were disarmed and their cache of Kalashnikov assault rifles, Katyushka rockets, a rocket launcher, flares and mobile phones were seized. The pirates were later arrested by warships from the global task force in a follow-up action.

On 13th April 2024, INS Talwar intercepted a suspicious dhow in the western Arabian Sea and confiscated a staggering 940 kilograms of contraband narcotics. The seized contents included 453 kg of methamphetamines, 416 kg of hash and 71 kg of heroin. The frigate was part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 led focussed Operation Crimson Barracuda. The operation was carried out precisely by MARCOS of Indian Navy. The operation was a part of Operation Crimson Barracuda.