Indonesia Prepares Garibaldi Carrier for Navy Service
Kabarsaji.com – Indonesia is moving ahead with plans to refurbish and modify the former Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi after the vessel reaches the country, with the work intended to prepare it for Indonesian naval requirements and tropical operating conditions.
Admiral Muhammad Ali, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy, said the project is expected to bring together PT Penataran Angkatan Laut and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. The cooperation follows an inspection of the ship at Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta on Friday, September 18, 2026.
“We will collaborate between PT Penataran Angkatan Laut and Fincantieri,” Ali said.
Fincantieri is an Italian shipbuilding company, and its involvement would connect the planned Indonesian work with expertise from the carrier’s country of origin. Ali said additional companies could also participate in the retrofit program for the vessel, which Indonesia received through a grant from the Italian government.
Systems to Be Adapted for Indonesian Waters
The Garibaldi will not simply be repaired in its existing form. Indonesian naval planners intend to adjust the ship’s systems and equipment to reflect a different operational environment and set of needs from those of the Italian Navy.
“The needs of the Italian Navy and Indonesia are different. So, it will be adjusted to the tropical sea conditions, what needs to be added and what doesn’t,” Ali said.
That adaptation process is expected to determine which capabilities should be retained, added, replaced, or removed. Tropical maritime conditions can shape maintenance needs and equipment choices, making the retrofit a central stage in turning the ship into an asset suitable for Indonesian service.
Ali named Leonardo, an Italian defense-industry company, as a possible contributor. He said the company would provide equipment for the Garibaldi. The final scope of involvement by participating companies will depend on the assessment carried out after the ship arrives and the work is formally organized.
Propulsion Identified as an Early Priority
PT PAL President Director Kaharuddin Djenod said PT PAL and Fincantieri will soon examine the ship in detail and draw up a list of areas requiring improvement. One of the most urgent subjects is its power and propulsion arrangement.
“If it is currently still using gas turbines, we will explore the possibility of replacing it with a different powering system,” Kaharuddin said.
The propulsion review will be significant because it concerns the vessel’s ability to operate reliably after refurbishment. The assessment is not limited to a single component: the two shipyard companies are also expected to decide how repair and upgrade duties will be divided between them.
Such a division of work will help define the practical structure of the retrofit, including which tasks are handled domestically and which require support from the Italian partner or other suppliers. It will also establish the equipment and systems needed to put the carrier into its intended Indonesian role.
Weapons Planned Despite Non-War Mission Focus
The Garibaldi is expected to be used for Non-War Military Operations, but the retrofit is also planned to include weapons. Kaharuddin said the instruction to arm the ship came from President Prabowo Subianto.
“The President ordered it to be equipped with weapons,” Kaharuddin said at Tanjung Priok Port on September 18, 2026.
The decision means the modernization program will address both the carrier’s operational mission and its defensive or military equipment. While the vessel’s intended use has been described in terms of non-war operations, the planned armament shows that the conversion will not be restricted to maintenance, logistics, or humanitarian-support considerations alone.
Details of the weapons package, the full equipment list, and the final configuration have not been disclosed. Those decisions will depend on the technical assessment and the resulting agreement among the companies involved in the overhaul.
Funding and Timeline
Ali said the government has prepared a budget for the retrofit, although he directed questions about the amount to the Ministry of Defense. Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, head of the ministry’s Information Bureau, had not responded to questions on the funding figure at the time the information was published.
The absence of a public budget total leaves the eventual cost of the overhaul unclear. However, the planned project covers more than ordinary repair work, encompassing condition improvements, possible propulsion changes, equipment supply, tropical-environment adjustments, and installation of weapons.
Kaharuddin set an ambitious target for completing the Garibaldi’s improvement process: three months. Reaching that deadline will require the assessment, task allocation, and priority repairs to advance quickly once PT PAL and Fincantieri begin their detailed work.
For Indonesia, the arrival of the Garibaldi creates a complex modernization task rather than an immediate operational deployment. The carrier must first be evaluated and altered for its new maritime setting, mission requirements, power needs, and planned onboard systems. The coming retrofit will determine how the former Italian vessel is reshaped for service with the Indonesian Navy.
Related Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Indonesian Navy Plans to Retrofit Garibaldi?
Indonesian Navy Plans to Retrofit Garibaldi is the main topic of this guide. The article explains the context, practical details, and next steps readers should understand.
Why does Indonesian Navy Plans to Retrofit Garibaldi matter?
Indonesian Navy Plans to Retrofit Garibaldi matters because readers are looking for a useful answer, not just a short summary. Good content should match search intent and help them decide what to do next.