The decommissioned Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi has set sail for its new home in Indonesia as the Southeast Asian country prepares to operate its first such vessel.
The ship left Taranto in Italy on 24 August and is expected to arrive at the Indonesian capital Jakarta between 15 and 20 September, according to Tentera Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL or Indonesian Navy) Chief of Staff Admiral Muhammad Ali speaking with the country’s official news agency Antara.
Indonesia acquired the Giuseppe Garibaldi in early 2026 under an agreement with the Italian government whereby the ship will be transferred as a grant, although the Indonesian government will be responsible for the refurbishment and modernisation costs for the 41-year-old ship, which has been estimated to be possibly as high as A$1.4 billion.
Upon arrival in Indonesia, it will be commissioned into the TNI-AL and renamed as the KRI Gajah Muda and will be used initially as a helicopter carrier although it has been suggested that it could be used to operate unmanned aircraft in the future, Australian Defence Magazine reports.
To prepare for its arrival, Indonesian helicopter crews have been training to operate from the ship at the TNI-AL base in Juanda adjacent to Surabaya Airport in the east of Indonesia’s main island of Java.
Photos released by the TNI-AL and confirmed by satellite imagery show that the outline of an aircraft carrier flight deck as well as deck markings have been painted on the tarmac and helicopters of all three Indonesian military services have been conducting landing and take-off practice on site.
Indonesia has long sought to modernise and expand its military, although efforts by the archipelagic nation to do so has been stymied by a lack of funds and the lack of a coherent defence and acquisition strategy.
The acquisition of the Garibaldi is a good example of this, with Indonesia plunging forward with the project despite repeatedly stating in the past it wanted to stop buying used defence equipment.
Nevertheless, a helicopter carrier will be a useful addition to the TNI-AL for missions such as logistics support and HADR to Indonesia’s far-flung islands, provided it is able to keep the ship serviceable at a useful rate.
