Ships, Italy sells aircraft carrier Garibaldi to Indonesia: it will be used for drones
With the sale of the aircraft carrier, Indonesia becomes Italy's largest Asian customer with contracts worth over USD 1.6 billion
by Lorenzo Pace
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From Italy to Indonesia. The Italian Navy's aircraft carrier Garibaldi has been purchased by the holding company Republikorp for 450 million euros. A negotiation made public during the last Indo Defence exhibition in Jakarta. There, the defence company displayed a model of the Garibaldi fleet.
The aim of the Indonesia will be to convert the aircraft carrier into a specialised platform for drones and unmanned vehicles. This includes the integration of 60 Turkish Bayraktar TB3 drones and modifications for a two-island configuration to optimise flight operations.
The aircraft carrier, with a length of 180 metres and a displacement of 13,370 tonnes, was built at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard. She entered service on 30 September 1985 as an aircraft carrier cruiser and served as flagship from 1987 to 2011, participating in international missions from Somalia to Operation Enduring Freedom.
Having taken part in missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya, the ship had been in reserve since 1 October 2024 at the Taranto Maritime Military Arsenal. For years it occupied a secondary role following the arrival of the Cavour (2008) and, more recently, the flagship Trieste (2022).
With the sale of the aircraft carrier, Indonesia becomes Italy's largest Asian customer with contracts worth over USD 1.6 billion. In March 2024, Fincantieri signed a EUR 1.18 billion contract for two Thaon di Revel-class Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Vessels, renamed KRI Brawijaya-320 (formerly Marcantonio Colonna) and KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321 (formerly Ruggiero di Lauria).
