Overview
- The Defence Minister will preside over ceremonies at Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, Oct 6, to launch Fleet Support Ship‑1, lay the keel of Fleet Support Ship‑5 and inaugurate HSL’s upgraded Slipway‑4 and a 300‑tonne Goliath crane.
- FSS‑1 is a 43,500‑tonne replenishment ship that officials say will enter the Bay of Bengal just 18 months after steel cutting and provide fuel, water, ammunition and supplies to keep warships deployed longer.
- Hindustan Shipyard’s slipway extension and the 300‑tonne crane raise the yard’s launch capacity to roughly 45,000 deadweight tonnes, enabling construction and launch of larger, more complex platforms.
- Laying the keel of FSS‑5 signals a move from single‑ship builds toward series production for the five‑ship programme and underscores the speed of domestic construction.
- The events are presented as part of a broader push to scale India’s defence industry, with senior officials attending and a concurrent HAL Koraput milestone for aero‑engine output that may boost local jobs and sustainment supply chains.