The Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) approved plans to finance through external loans the acquisition of the former Italian Navy aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (C-551), decommissioned in 2024 following the incorporation of the amphibious assault ship ITS Trieste (L9890).
According to documents cited by Janes, the decision was formalized in a letter sent on August 29 by the Minister of National Development Planning, Rachmat Pambudy, to his Defense counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. The annex of the letter sets a cap of 450 million dollars for the purchase of the ship and the equipment necessary for its operation.
The financing may be obtained through export credit agencies, bilateral creditors, or private institutions. In the same document, BAPPENAS also gave the green light to external credits to incorporate new transport helicopters (up to 250 million dollars) and utility vehicles (up to 300 million dollars).
The possibility of Indonesia incorporating the Giuseppe Garibaldi gained momentum during the Indodefence exhibition, held in Jakarta in June 2025. There, the Italian company Fincantieri participated with a presentation in which its sales director of the Naval Business Unit, Mauro Manzini, stated: “The Giuseppe Garibaldi is in good condition and has approximately between 15 and 20 years of service life left. The ship can be transferred after a refitting process adapted to the specific needs of the Indonesian Navy.”
At the same event, the local firm Republikorp exhibited a conceptual model of an aircraft carrier also named Giuseppe Garibaldi, although with a different design from the original, including two islands instead of one. The model displayed on deck scale models of Bayraktar TB3 drones from the Turkish company Baykar Technologies. According to representatives of this company, Indonesia expressed interest in acquiring around 60 units of the system, both in naval and land versions.
In July 2025, Fincantieri sent a delegation to Jakarta to formally present its proposal for converting the Giuseppe Garibaldi into a drone carrier. The delegation included the ship’s former commander Marco Guerreiro, the former engineering director Nicola Tria, and the company’s current head of refitting projects, Corrado Canepa. The presentation was structured into four areas of work, although details about the modifications, execution timelines, or final costs have not yet been disclosed.
The Giuseppe Garibaldi, built by Fincantieri and commissioned in 1985, served for almost forty years as one of the main ships of the Italian Navy (Marina Militare). Together with the aircraft carrier Cavour (C-550), it was a key piece of the country’s strategic naval projection, operating with AV-8B Harrier II aircraft and SH-3D and AW101 helicopters in different international missions.
*Images for illustrative purposes
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