INS Talwar ( F40 ) INS " Talwar " ( F40 ) 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 in 2003 . The " Talwar " is a multirole stealth frigate and 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 frigate s . The " Talwar " class guided missile frigates 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 . Construction . The " 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 . Acceptance trials revealed a number of defects which needed to be rectified . The " Talwar " was finally handed over to the Indian Navy in St . Petersburg in a formal commissioning ceremony on 18 June 2003 , after all problems were identified and remedied . INS " Talwar " arrived home at Mumbai ' s Naval Dockyard on 12 August 2003 , after a long journey from St . Petersburg . Acceptance Trials . Acceptance trials , carried out during June 2002 , revealed several defects in the underwater hull and in the weapon systems including missiles . The Delivery Acceptance Team ( DAT ) appointed by the Indian defence ministry , recommended commissioning of the ship only after proving all weapon systems . According to media reports , the Shtil - 1 SAM system , an export version of the SA - N - 12 " Grizzly " , had been unable to hit any airborne targets during trial firings . This was due to integration problems between the combat management and weapons systems . This resulted in the Indian Navy not taking delivery of the vessel . In July 2002 , Government of Russia appointed an Inter - Departmental Committee ( IDC ) for analysis of all problems connected with the delivery acceptance of missiles . The Indian defence ministry sanctioned the expatriation of a crew of 28 officers and 225 sailors to Russia from 11 April to 10 June 2003 for the commissioning of the ship . The ship was finally commissioned on 18 June 2003 . This needed extension of deputation of the crew by 35 to 38 days . The expenditure of Rs 6 . 24 crore on the crew from 11 April 2003 to 18 June 2003 was avoidable as training was already completed in July 2002 . 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 US Navy , and with the French Navy . 2006 accident damaging sonar dome . In May 2006 , the INS " Talwar " accidentally dropped its anchor on its own anti - submarine sonar dome and had to be rushed for repairs to restore its anti - submarine capabilities . Anti - piracy measures off the Somali coast . On 28 May 2009 , INS " Talwar " , while escorting three merchant vessels - Maud , Southern Independence and Aramis . At around 10 . 20 GMT , while about east of Aden , she received a distress signal from 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 naval commandos on Prahar high - speed inflatables 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 . Since the freighters were still in dangerous waters and needed escort , the frigate left the disarmed pirates to drift on the high seas after emptying their skiff ' s fuel tank and disabling it . The pirates were later arrested by warships from the global task force in a follow - up action .