Indonesia has taken delivery of its first aircraft carrier, with the former Italian naval vessel Giuseppe Garibaldi arriving at a base in North Jakarta amid a wider push to strengthen the country’s military.
The 41-year-old ship docked at Tanjung Priok seaport on Friday after travelling from Italy through Colombo and the Malacca Strait, according to Indonesian Navy chief of staff Muhammad Ali.
It will be renamed KRI Sriwijaya, after the maritime kingdom based in Sumatra that was a major naval and trading power in south-east Asia between the seventh and 13th centuries.
President Prabowo Subianto has said the vessel will support disaster response across Indonesia’s archipelago. The navy said the 180-metre ship can carry up to 18 helicopters and accommodate as many as 830 personnel.
Mr Ali said the carrier would provide a platform from which helicopters could deliver supplies quickly to remote areas. “There are many disasters in this country. So we really need a vessel or platform that could carry many helicopters, because the helicopters can drop logistics quickly to remote areas,” he said.
He also acknowledged that the ship could “be deployed for combat missions if necessary”.
Indonesia’s military upgrade
The arrival follows Italy’s decision in March to give Indonesia the carrier, which was commissioned in 1985 and retired in 2014. The transfer was intended to deepen defence ties between the two countries, while Italy is seeking agreements covering submarines and aircraft.
Mr Ali said the vessel remained in good condition and could serve the Indonesian navy for another 15 to 20 years. Indonesia’s Finance Ministry approved 450 million dollars in financing for the carrier programme in 2025, although opposition politicians have warned that the total cost could be higher.
The acquisition is part of Mr Prabowo’s efforts to expand Indonesia’s defence capabilities and forge closer military partnerships. In 2022, while serving as defence minister, he oversaw an 8.1 billion dollar agreement to buy 42 French-made Rafale fighter jets.
Indonesia has also secured an agreement this year to establish a “Major Defence Cooperation Partnership” with the United States administration and signed a security treaty with Australia. India has separately confirmed that it will supply Jakarta with long-range missiles.
