Jane's Defence Weekly reported on September 19 that the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency has approved a plan to purchase the retired Italian Navy aircraft carrier "Giuseppe Garibaldi" (hull number C-551) through external loans.

Documents cited by Jane's Defence Weekly show that this decision was formally confirmed by the Minister of National Development, Rachmat Pambudi, in a letter dated August 29 to the country's Defence Minister Saffie. The attached document clearly states that the budget ceiling for the procurement of the aircraft carrier and the required operational equipment is 450 million US dollars (approximately 3.2 billion Chinese yuan), and the funds can be raised through export credit agencies, bilateral creditors, or private institutions.

In the same document, the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency also approved the purchase of new transport helicopters (budget ceiling 250 million US dollars) and multi-purpose vehicles (budget ceiling 300 million US dollars) through external credit.

Regarding the matter of Indonesia's procurement of the "Giuseppe Garibaldi," there were new developments during the Indonesia Defence Exhibition in June 2025.

At that time, Fincantieri participated in the exhibition and promoted the aircraft carrier. Mauro Mancini, Director of Naval Business at Fincantieri, said: "The 'Giuseppe Garibaldi' is in good condition and still has about 15 to 20 years of service life. After modifications that meet the specific needs of the Indonesian Navy, the ship can be handed over."

The concept model of the "Giuseppe Garibaldi" displayed at the Indonesia Defence Exhibition differs from the original Italian Navy version. The concept model features a twin island design, while the original has a single island. On the model's deck, there were models of the TB3 drones from Turkish Baykar Technologies. The exhibitor stated that Indonesia has expressed interest in purchasing approximately 60 sets of this drone system, including both naval and land versions.

In July 2025, a delegation from Fincantieri visited Jakarta to officially submit a proposal to convert the "Giuseppe Garibaldi" into a drone carrier. The delegation included Marco Gherro, the former captain of the ship; Nicola Tria, the former chief engineer; and Corrado Canepa, the current project leader for modifications at the company. This presentation focused on four areas of work, but details of the modification, execution schedule, and final cost have not been disclosed yet.

The "Giuseppe Garibaldi" is the first aircraft carrier to enter service in the Italian Navy, inheriting the name and hull number C-551 of the light cruiser "Giuseppe Garibaldi." The ship is 180.2 meters long, with a flight deck width of 30.4 meters, and a full load displacement of 13,850 tons. It was laid down in 1981, launched in June 1983, and officially commissioned in Naples in 1987. During its service, the "Garibaldi" mainly carried AV-8B "Harrier II" short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft and Agusta SH-3D helicopters.

With the completion of the "Cavour" aircraft carrier and the "Trieste" amphibious assault ship, as well as the introduction of the F-35B fighter jets, Italy began to consider the future of the "Garibaldi." In January 2021, an Italian media outlet reported that the Italian Navy had once confirmed plans to convert the "Garibaldi" into a "rocket launch ship" to enable Italy to gain independent rocket launch capabilities. The Chieti Shipbuilding Research Center under Fincantieri conducted many simulation calculations on this. However, as time passed, no further information on this plan has been released.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer News Network. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552526879610257983/

Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author and welcomes your opinion by clicking the [Up/Down] buttons below.