Defence Minister Launches India's First Indigenous Fleet Support Ship Surya, Part of ₹19,000 Crore Five-Ship Programme

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched India's first indigenous Fleet Support Ship, FSS-1 named Surya, at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam on October 6, 2026. Surya is the lead ship of a five-vessel programme being built at a cost of ₹19,000 crore, according to Free Press Journal and Channel IAM. Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan attended the event. Singh also laid the keel of the fifth Fleet Support Ship (FSS-5) and inaugurated an upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath Crane at the shipyard. The 43,500 to 45,000-tonne vessels are 225 metres long and 32 metres wide, designed to replenish warships at sea with fuel, water, ammunition, provisions and technical spares. The ships feature enhanced cargo and fluid capacity, onboard maintenance workshops, a helicopter deck for multi-role operations, and self-defence systems. FSS-1 entered the waters of the Bay of Bengal 18 months after steel cutting.

HSL is expected to deliver Surya to the Navy in 2027, while the remaining vessels are expected to follow at the rate of one every 10 months. The upgraded infrastructure will enable HSL to build and launch vessels of up to 45,000 deadweight tonnes.

The Indian Navy will be affected as the fleet support ships address a capability gap in at-sea replenishment. Without such capability, warships must return to port for resupply, limiting deployment duration and range. The five ships are expected to allow naval vessels to remain deployed for longer periods and extend the Navy's reach across the Indian Ocean Region, though delivery depends on HSL meeting the projected construction schedule of one vessel every 10 months after Surya.

Sources

Free Press Journal, "Rajnath Singh Launches India's First Indigenous Fleet Support Ship Surya In ₹19,000 Crore Naval Push," October 6, 2026, freepressjournal.in UNI India, "Def Min launches 1st indigenous Fleet Support Ship 'INS Surya' at HSL," October 6, 2026, uniindia.com Utkarsh, "Raksha Mantri Launches First Indigenous Fleet Support Ship INS Surya at HSL Visakhapatnam," October 6, 2026, utkarsh.com Channel IAM, "India Launches First Fleet Support Ship 'Surya'," October 6, 2026, en.channeliam.com Insights on India, "'Surya'- The First Indigenous Fleet Support Ship," October 7, 2026, insightsonindia.com Superprep.io, "Rajnath Singh launches Rs 19,000 crore fleet support ship project for Indian Navy," October 7, 2026, superprep.io