Indonesia Receives First Aircraft Carrier, Sets Sights on Maritime Expansion

Indonesia has taken a major step in its naval modernisation with the arrival of its first aircraft carrier, the former Italian warship ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, but the milestone has also opened a wider debate over whether the ageing vessel represents a strategically useful investment or an expensive addition to a military already undergoing an ambitious expansion.

The 41-year-old carrier arrived at Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta on September 18, where it was welcomed in a military ceremony. Retired by Italy in 2024, the 180-metre vessel is set to enter Indonesian Navy service as KRI Sriwijaya, named after the historic Srivijaya maritime kingdom. The ship makes Indonesia only the second Southeast Asian country with an aircraft carrier, after Thailand's HTMS Chakri Naruebet, commissioned in 1997 with carrier-capable AV-8S Matador aircraft and helicopters.

The Giuseppe Garibaldi, commissioned by Italy in 1985, was designed to operate short-takeoff and vertical-landing aircraft and helicopters. Italy transferred the vessel as a grant, strengthening defence ties with Jakarta while avoiding continued maintenance and eventual dismantling costs. Italy valued the ship at about €54 million, estimated annual maintenance at €5 million and disposal costs at nearly €19 million. The wider relationship includes potential Italian deals involving submarines and aircraft.

Indonesia plans to refurbish the carrier primarily as a helicopter and drone platform, mobile command centre and disaster-response hub rather than a conventional fighter carrier. President Prabowo Subianto said it could accommodate up to 10 medium-sized helicopters, including aircraft comparable to Black Hawks and Mi-17s, and carry large quantities of water to combat forest and peatland fires. The vessel could also support disaster relief during earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and other emergencies across Indonesia's vast archipelago.

However, the acquisition has triggered scrutiny over costs. Indonesia's Finance Ministry approved $450 million in financing in 2025, while lawmaker TB Hasanuddin estimated retrofitting could reach 16 trillion rupiah ($900 million). RSIS analysts have estimated annual operating, maintenance and training costs could reach $50 million-$80 million.

The debate comes as Indonesia expands defence spending under Prabowo, with the 2026 defence allocation at about 335 trillion rupiah, alongside investments in fighter aircraft, submarines, frigates and missiles. Analysts Muhammad Fauzan Malufti and Khairul Fahmi have questioned whether submarines, frigates and asymmetric systems should receive greater priority.

Indonesia's experience will also be watched against Thailand's carrier, which has increasingly served humanitarian and disaster-relief roles because of operational and financial constraints. For Jakarta, KRI Sriwijaya is consequently both a naval milestone and a test of whether an ageing carrier can become a sustainable military and disaster-response capability without placing excessive pressure on wider defence priorities.