L&T’s Precision Engineering Systems vertical received the order from Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), a state-owned shipyard under the Ministry of Defence. The order was stated to be ‘Significant’ by L&T, which the group classifies as any order in the range of ₹1,000-2,500 crore ($120-300 million). L&T has thus received a share of the ₹19,000 crore ($2.27 billion) contract awarded to HSL for the construction of five FSS for the Indian Navy, reports Adithya Krishna Menon.

L&T’s shipyard in Kattupalli had also been subcontracted for hull and part outfitting of four out of eight ASW Shallow Water Crafts (SWC) by GRSE, with the fourth launched in November 2023. A similar strategy is now being adopted by HSL for the contract of five FSS. The five vessels will be concurrently constructed by both HSL and L&T to meet the Navy’s challenging delivery timelines. The first ship is to be delivered in August 2027 according to the contract, with the rest to be delivered in 10-12 month intervals.

L&T will be responsible for hull construction and part outfitting of two FSS. These will then be delivered to HSL where the vessels will undergo final outfitting along with the remaining three ships. The steel-cutting ceremony for the first FSS was held at HSL, Visakhapatnam on April 10, 2024. While the first of GRSE’s ASW SWC was laid at Kattupalli, it is not clear if the first FSS will be laid at HSL Visakhapatnam or L&T Kattupalli.

The FSS is being designed by HSL’s in-house design bureau with Kochi-based SEDS as the prime consultant. FSS entered the advanced design phase in late 2023, with speeds of up to of 20 knots validated during hydrodynamic studies. Naval News learnt that the specifications of the ships will be as follows:

Length: 222.8 m
Width: 31.5 m
Draught: 9.5 m
Complement: 214
Range: 12,000 nm at 16 knots, 9,000 nm at 20 knots

The ships will have a Combat Management System, communication systems, EW systems and other sensors from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which had received an order worth ₹1,075 crore ($130 million) from HSL on August 25 2023 for supply of these systems.

The Fleet Support Ship will be the largest vessel in the Indian Navy with a full load displacement of 44,700 tons which is greater than the stated displacements of its two aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya (44,500 tons) and INS Vikrant (42,800 tons). The five FSS will add to the Indian Navy’s current fleet of four replenishment ships, of which two will reach the end of their life in the next decade. In December 2023, the Navy had sought to lease a product tanker with capacity of 15,000 tons for 2.5 years for its western fleet.

The Indian Navy is on its way to doubling the tonnage of its surface fleet from around 3,00,000 tons to over 6,00,000 tons in the next decade, excluding auxiliary vessels such as the FSS. The FSS will help the navy to deploy and support these ships, including upcoming projects like the follow-on Vikrant class carrier, Next Generation Destroyers and Project 17B frigates, while they conduct long range deployments which are increasingly undertaken by the Navy in areas neighbouring the Indian Ocean region.