India's Fleet Support Ship Program Pivots to Domestic Focus Amid Turkish Firm's Exclusion

NEW DELHI, India – India's Fleet Support Ship (FSS) program faces a potential shift in direction following the reported exclusion of Turkish shipyard Anadolu Shipyard from the project.

Anadolu Shipyard of TAIS was initially expected to provide design collaboration and key equipment. However, sources indicate that the Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) is moving towards an entirely indigenous effort for building these strategic vessels.

Strained Relations a Possible Factor​

Indian media outlets speculate that this decision may be influenced by ongoing political tensions between India and Turkey. Turkey's support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue at the UN and wider friction between the nations have created a strained political climate.

Domestic Focus Aligns with "Make in India"​

The reported exclusion of the Turkish shipyard underscores India's focus on self-reliance in defense manufacturing. Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) will now collaborate with a Kochi-based consultant for the design and construction of the five 44,000-ton FSS vessels.

This move aligns with the government's "Make in India" initiative, which emphasizes domestic production capabilities within the defense sector.

Timeline for Delivery​

Despite the change in plans, the timeline for the FSS program remains ambitious. HSL aims to deliver the first vessel by 2027, with the entire fleet expected to be operational by 2031-32.

 

[Mithu Roy]

All companies prefer foreign balls.Dont know if it is that tasty to have it

 

[Bhupesh Desai]

Good India should refrain from doing any business with Turkey as it is anti India country; part of Pakistan axis for India it is axis of evil.

 

[soham roy]

We need Turkey to build Indian Ships? Really? Turkey? What a shame....

 

[Indeevar Sharma]

Good decision. Kick them out. In fact we don't need their support. We are better.

 

[Mandalika Srirama murthy]

Good thing, asking Turkey to join in military projects is like inviting the thief into the house. There's every possibility of Turkey revealing Indian project details to their close friend Mr. Pakistan.

 

[desigandu]

Good, unless Turkey changes its political stance towards India, we should ensure no big commercial stuff with Turkey...To put pressure India should cancel all direct flights, bank to bank connects, and easy visas for Turkey - best way to hurt Turkey's interest is economically/diplomatically while ensuring we have stronger tier with Greece and Cyprus...Nothing is permanent in geopolitics and we can change our stand based on interests...Also these actions should be suttle in the name of national security, procedure etc., so there is no overt reactions - great power game is what Bharat must master.

 

[ramdas]

Turkish Airlines should be getting good business from Indians

 

[Anant]

Good riddance to Tharki. Why exactly HSL thought it would be a good idea to partner with Tharkish shipyards in the first place is confusing, to say the least.

 

[Aayush Pratap]

What snag? God knows we have enough shipyards capable of getting the job done.