Tanzania, India and Mozambique have conducted a first-ever trilateral navy exercise when Indian Navy Ship (INS) Tarkash arrived at Dar es Salaam Port earlier this week.
On arrival on 26th October 2022, Commanding Officer, Captain Abraham Samuel, accompanied by Defence Attaché Captain Nitesh Garg paid a courtesy call on General Jacob John Mkunda, Chief of Defence Forces and Rear Admiral Ramson Godwin Mwaisaka, Commander of Tanzania Navy.
High Commissioner H.E. Binaya Srikanta Pradhan and Commanding Officer Captain Abraham Samuel hosted a reception on board INS Tarkash in the evening of 26th October 2022.
Chief of Staff Lt Gen Salim Haji Othman, senior officers of Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces (TPDF), members of diplomatic corps and Indian diaspora attended the event. High Commissioner and Lt. Gen. Othman spoke of strong historical ties between India and Tanzania.
The naval band and crew members gave a cultural performance during the reception.
During the visit, INS Tarkash participated in a bilateral Maritime Partnership Exercise with Tanzania.
This incidentally is also Indian Navy’s first dedicated exercise with African countries and comes soon after the Gandhinagar Declaration was adopted in the recently concluded India Africa Defence Dialogue in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on the sidelines of Defexpo 2022.
Various professional disciplines like handling asymmetric threats, boat operations, Helicopter Operations, Casualty Evacuation drills, Fire Fighting, Visit Board Search and Seize (VBSS) drills were exercised.
Educational visits for students and members of the diaspora were also organized on board INS Tarkash during which the crew members gave a tour of the ship to the visitors.
INS Tarkash was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 9 November 2012 and joined the Western Naval Command on 27 December 2012.
The ship gets its name from a Sanskrit word ‘Tarkash’ which means a Quiver of Arrows.
Packed with a high density of weapons and sensors and manned by highly motivated crew, it’s one of the most potent platforms of the Indian Navy.
The ship gets its name from a Sanskrit word ‘Tarkash’ which means a Quiver of Arrows. Packed with a high density of weapons and sensors and manned by highly motivated crew, she is one of the most potent platforms of the Indian Navy.
INS Tarkash (F50) is the second Talwar-class frigate constructed for the Indian Navy. She is part of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates ordered by the Indian Navy. She was built at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. She was commissioned to Navy service on 9 November 2012 at Kaliningrad and joined the Western Naval Command on 27 December 2012.
Tarkash belongs to the second flight (F45, F50, F51) of Talwar class of guided missile frigates. These are modified Krivak III-class frigates built by Russia. These ships use stealth technologies and a special hull design to ensure a reduced radar cross section. Much of the equipment on the ship is Russian-made, but a significant number of systems of Indian origin have also been incorporated. The main difference between Tarkash and the earlier flight of Talwar-class ships (F40, F43, F44) is the use of BrahMos missiles in place of the Klub-N missiles in the earlier ships.It is the second of the three frigates built in Russia as a follow-up order to the first batch of Talwar-class frigates.
(Ingrid Kim)
