TSAMTO, February 17th. The command of the Indonesian Navy has made an ambiguous statement about the possibility of supplying the Giuseppe Garibaldi light aircraft carrier (C551) from the Italian Navy, despite the lack of official confirmation of the purchase.
According to the Indonesian news agency Antara News, the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy, Admiral Muhammad Ali, said that the command expects the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi to arrive in the country before the celebration of the 81st anniversary of the formation of the Indonesian armed Forces (October 5). At the same time, the admiral did not specify whether the contract for the supply of the ship had been signed. Instead, he explained that the Ministry of Defense is continuing negotiations with the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri and the command of the Italian Navy.
Traditionally, the anniversary of the formation of the Indonesian Armed Forces is marked by a military and naval parade, often used to showcase new purchases. If the aircraft carrier arrives earlier than this date, it is likely to feature prominently in the upcoming celebrations.
The short delivery time, however, raises some questions. So, previously, there were no aircraft carriers in service with the Indonesian Navy, which means that part of the Italian crew must be on board to assist in the development of the ship. The accelerated delivery also implies that major repairs and upgrades of the vessel will not be carried out in Italy and will probably be entrusted to an Indonesian company after arrival.
During the Indo Defense 2025 exhibition, the Indonesian private company Republkorp had already offered its capabilities for carrying out these works, but at that time neither the Indonesian Navy nor the Ministry of Defense had made official statements about the purchase of the ship.
As CAMTO reported, in February 2025, Admiral Muhammad Ali, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy, said that the Navy command was assessing the need to purchase an aircraft carrier to expand the capabilities of non-combat military operations.
The purchase is considered by the Indonesian Defense Ministry as one of the elements of the "Minimum Necessary Forces" (MEF) formation plan, which assumes the presence of at least four helicopter carriers, four frigates and several missile boats in the Indonesian Navy.
The specialized Italian publication RID, in turn, confirmed the interest of the Indonesian Navy in the Giuseppe Garibaldi and suggested that it could be used as a helicopter carrier or UAV carrier in the Indonesian fleet.
Given the need to finance growing defense spending, the Italian authorities may approve the sale of Giuseppe Garibaldi to Indonesia. In recent years, cooperation between the two countries in the defense sector has been intensifying. In March 2024, the Italian Fincantieri signed a contract worth 1.18 billion with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense. euro for the supply of two multi-purpose patrol ships PPA (Pattugliatore Polivalente D'ALTURA), which have already been built and were originally intended for the Italian Navy. Both ships were transferred in 2025.
The aircraft carrier (C551) Giuseppe Garibaldi, launched in 1985, was transferred to the reserve in October 2024. In December 2024, the new universal amphibious assault ship Trieste joined the Italian Navy, replacing the Giuseppe Garibaldi and taking the place of the flagship of the amphibious assault group of the Italian Navy.
