HMS Prince of Wales recently linked up with Indian warship INS Tabar in the latest phase of Operation Highmast, the Royal Navy’s flagship deployment of 2025.
Currently serving as the lead vessel in the UK’s Carrier Strike Group, HMS Prince of Wales is at the centre of an eight-month mission spanning from the Mediterranean to the western Pacific.
The deployment includes joint exercises with navies from over a dozen nations and is intended to strengthen defence ties and reaffirm Britain’s commitment to regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.
The Carrier Strike Group’s tasking also includes showcasing UK industry, supporting trade partnerships, and demonstrating military interoperability with key allies. Alongside the carrier, the task group includes Royal Navy destroyers and frigates, support vessels from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and international partners.
In total, over 4,500 British personnel are involved across the deployment. This includes approximately 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines, nearly 600 members of the Royal Air Force, and 900 soldiers from the British Army.
INS Tabar is a Talwar-class guided missile frigate built by the Baltiyskiy Zavod shipyard in St. Petersburg, Russia. She was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 19 April 2004 in Kaliningrad and currently operates under the Western Naval Command based in Mumbai. As of August 2024, the ship is commanded by Captain M.R. Harish.
Designed for multi-role operations, INS Tabar is equipped to conduct air defence, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. The ship displaces around 4,035 tonnes at full load, with a top speed of 30 knots and a range of nearly 5,000 nautical miles. It operates a combined gas-and-gas (COGAG) propulsion system and carries a complement of around 180 personnel.
The ship’s armament includes Shtil-1 and Igla surface-to-air missiles, Klub-class cruise missiles, a 100 mm naval gun, torpedo tubes, and a RBU-6000 rocket launcher for anti-submarine warfare. It also has advanced radar and electronic warfare systems and typically embarks a Ka-28 or HAL Dhruv helicopter for extended operations. The frigate has previously participated in regional port visits, international fleet reviews, and maritime security missions.
The rendezvous with INS Tabar occurred earlier this month, before the Carrier Strike Group departed Singapore. HMS Prince of Wales and her escorts left the port earlier this week to continue their deployment eastward through the Indo-Pacific.
It’s reassuring that it was built by the Russians considering how well there stuff has performed in Ukraine and Iran!
It’s beyond me why anyone would waste money like India has on Russian warships.
The only navy in history to loose a battle to a country with no navy.