Modernisation of Giuseppe Garibaldi Aircraft Carrier to be Conducted in Indonesia
The Indonesian Defence Ministry has announced that the entire maintenance and modernisation process for the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi will be carried out domestically. The secondhand vessel was acquired by Indonesia through a grant from the Italian government.
Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Defence Ministry’s Information Bureau, stated that despite obtaining the vessel without purchase, the government is still allocating a budget for maintenance and capability enhancement of the military equipment.
“All maintenance and modernisation processes are planned to be carried out domestically,” said Rico when contacted on Saturday, 28 February 2026.
The allocated budget covers maintenance of existing equipment as well as specific modernisations, including installation of combat systems to meet the operational needs of the Indonesian Navy. The budget allocation will be adjusted according to the vessel’s technical condition and equipment installation requirements. “The estimated allocation is in the range of Rp 7.2 trillion,” he said.
The transfer of Giuseppe Garibaldi is currently in the administrative stage of the grant process within each country’s internal procedures. However, the arrival schedule remains dependent on technical readiness and completion of ownership transfer procedures. “The government hopes the vessel will arrive in Indonesia before the TNI anniversary celebration in 2026,” he stated.
In principle, the aircraft carrier can support the Indonesian Navy’s operational missions for military operations in war as well as military operations other than war, including humanitarian missions and disaster relief. Personnel arrangements and assignments remain under finalisation by the Indonesian Navy.
This grant arrangement is the result of government-to-government communications and negotiations within the framework of bilateral defence cooperation between Indonesia and Italy. The arrangement has been pursued through government-to-government mechanisms and forms part of strengthening the strategic relationship between the two countries in the defence sector.
Andi Widjajanto, former Governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas), believes the greatest challenge is not merely acquisition but also the maintenance cycle of the vessel. According to him, given the Giuseppe Garibaldi’s advanced age, domestic repair capabilities are potentially limited.
“There are two pieces of military equipment with special characteristics: submarines and aircraft carriers. If we do not manufacture them ourselves, we cannot maintain them. So it must necessarily return to the shipyard where the aircraft carrier was originally built or is typically maintained,” said Andi on Wednesday, 25 February 2025.