Indonesia on Friday welcomed its first aircraft carrier, a 41-year-old former Italian Navy vessel, as president Prabowo Subianto’s government seeks to modernise the country’s ageing military while positioning the ship as a platform for disaster response.The former ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi arrived at North Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok port after sailing from Italy via the Suez Canal, Red Sea, Colombo and the Malacca Strait. It was received with a military ceremony. The carrier will be renamed the KRI Sriwijaya next week KRI Sriwijaya.Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Muhammad Ali said the ship would be particularly useful in an archipelago frequently hit by natural disasters.“There are many disasters in this country. So we really need a vessel or platform that could carry many helicopters, because the helicopters can drop logistics quickly to remote areas,” Ali said.“Its condition is still very good and hopefully it can be used by the Indonesian Navy for the next 15 to 20 years.”The 180-metre vessel can carry helicopters and short-takeoff, vertical-landing aircraft and accommodate hundreds of personnel. President Prabowo has said Indonesia plans to refurbish it for helicopter and drone operations rather than use it primarily as a conventional carrier for fighter jets.“We will refurbish it and convert it into a carrier for helicopters and drones,” Prabowo said earlier this month. “This will greatly help our disaster response.”The acquisition has nevertheless prompted questions over cost, operational requirements and Indonesia’s broader military ambitions. The finance ministry approved $450 million in financing for the carrier programme in 2025, while lawmaker TB Hasanuddin said retrofitting alone could cost about 16 trillion rupiah ($900 million).Muhammad Fauzan Malufti of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the acquisition should be based on operational needs and Indonesia’s ability to sustain the vessel.“The bottom line is that this should not be forced. Otherwise, the benefits could be outweighed by the costs,” Fauzan said.The carrier is expected to undergo refurbishment and integration with Indonesian naval aviation assets.
