Indonesia plans to upgrade the incoming Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier with support from domestic shipyards and companies following its acquisition from Italy.
The vessel, formerly operated by the Italian Navy until its retirement in 2024, was provided to Jakarta as a grant by the Italian government. It is expected to arrive before the October 5 anniversary of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. With the addition of the ship, Indonesia will join Thailand as the only Southeast Asian nations operating aircraft carriers.
Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait from the Ministry of Defense’s Secretariat General stated that Indonesian companies will be chosen according to existing procurement regulations. While most modernization activities will take place within the country, certain specialized equipment and components may still need to be sourced from foreign suppliers.
Constructed by Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri, the Giuseppe Garibaldi served in the Italian Navy from 1985 until its decommissioning in 2024. The 180.2-meter (591-foot) ship is a short take-off and vertical landing carrier capable of operating both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. It displaces around 13,850 tons and can achieve speeds of up to 30 knots (55.5 kilometers or 34.5 miles per hour).
Indonesia’s current president, Prabowo Subianto, first pursued the acquisition while serving as defense minister between 2019 and 2024 and held discussions about the ship during a visit to Italy in 2022 as part of broader defense modernization efforts.
Although Italy provided the carrier as a grant, Jakarta has allocated funding estimated at around 7.2 million Indonesian rupiah (approximately $427 million) to support refitting, upgrades, and maintenance to meet the Indonesian Navy’s operational requirements.
Once the modernization work is completed, the carrier is expected to function primarily as a command and headquarters ship. Analysts say it could also support humanitarian and disaster relief missions, as well as military operations or drone deployments across Indonesia’s vast island chain. Nevertheless, some observers caution that maintaining and operating a carrier could impose significant financial demands on the country’s defense budget. ⚓
