Prabowo Confirms Garibaldi Will Be Converted Into a Helicopter and Drone Carrier

JAKARTA – President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto has confirmed that the arrival of the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (551), which is travelling from Italy to Indonesia with stopovers in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Colombo (Sri Lanka), will see the vessel converted into a ‘base’ for helicopters. Prabowo wants helicopters from the Garibaldi to be able to proceed directly to locations to help extinguish forest and land fires (karhutla).

“Alhamdulillah, soon the aircraft carrier from Italy will be refurbished and converted into a helicopter and drone carrier. It will have the capacity to accommodate ten medium-class helicopters, such as the Black Hawk or the Mi-17,” Prabowo said during a limited meeting held virtually from the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday (7/9/2026).