Italy approves free transfer of Garibaldi aircraft carrier to Indonesia after final parliamentary vote.

Italy's Parliament has cleared the transfer of its retired aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi to Indonesia, shifting a costly inactive asset into a vessel that could expand Jakarta’s maritime command and aviation reach. The transfer strengthens Indonesia’s ability to coordinate operations across its vast archipelago while deepening defense ties between the two countries.

The ship will arrive stripped of all combat systems, but retains its flight deck, propulsion, and command infrastructure, making it suitable for conversion into a helicopter and drone carrier. If modernized as planned, it could support persistent maritime surveillance, disaster response, and distributed operations, in a broader shift toward unmanned systems and lower-cost force projection at sea.

Related topic: Italian Senate approves free transfer of Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier to Indonesia

As of 2026, the Giuseppe Garibaldi’s residual accounting value is €54,022,426.67, while annual maintenance costs for 2025 are estimated at about €5 million, covering energy consumption, security, surveillance, and minimal technical upkeep. (Picture source: Italian Navy)

On April 28, 2026, the Italian Parliament approved the free transfer of the decommissioned aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (C 551) to Indonesia, completing the final legal step required to proceed with the operation, following the transmission of the ministerial decree on February 19, 2026. This decree was then assigned on February 24 to the Foreign Affairs and Defense committees, and was followed by a favorable opinion from the Budget Committee on April 14 and by the Italian Senate on March 24. The decree defines the transfer as a free cession, with no financial compensation to the Italian state.

Administrative processing, technical preparation, and delivery are now scheduled to be completed by December 2026. The transfer follows bilateral exchanges initiated in 2021, when Indonesia expressed interest in acquiring Italian decommissioned naval units. No competing requests from other states were recorded during the evaluation phase. The April 28 decision also concludes a disposal process combining legal authorization, cost analysis, political objections in Italy, and bilateral cooperation objectives. The Giuseppe Garibaldi (C 551) was placed in reserve on December 31, 2024, after more than forty years of operational service, having entered service in 1985 as Italy’s first aircraft carrier.

The withdrawal was driven by a combination of system obsolescence and structural degradation, including outdated command-and-control systems incompatible with Italy's current digital and networked operational standards. Interoperability with modern aircraft and naval systems had declined, further limiting the Garibaldi's integration into contemporary joint operations. Structural fatigue accumulated over decades of deployments also increased maintenance demands and reduced operational availability. Modernization efforts conducted in 2003 and 2013 extended its service life but did not resolve limitations in power generation, onboard architecture, and data integration.

The introduction of newer units with expanded capabilities, such as the LHD Trieste, significantly reduced the operational relevance of the ship. The vessel no longer met requirements for multi-domain operations involving coordinated air, sea, and information domains. All these factors led to its classification as technically obsolete. The Giuseppe Garibaldi was designed as a light aircraft carrier with a displacement of 14,150 tons, a length of 180.2 meters, and a beam of 30.4 meters. Propulsion is provided by four GE-Avio LM2500 gas turbines producing 60,400 kW, transmitted through two shafts, enabling a maximum speed of 30 knots and an operational range of about 7,000 nautical miles.

Electrical systems include six diesel generators and one emergency generator, ensuring redundancy for onboard systems. The crew complement is about 570 personnel, including aviation support elements. Original armament consisted of Aspide surface-to-air missile launchers, Teseo Mk2 anti-ship missiles, two triple 324 mm torpedo tubes, and 40 mm naval guns configured for close-range defense. Sensor systems included air search radar, surface search radar, navigation radars, and fire control systems supporting missile and gun operations. The Garibaldi also functioned as a command unit, coordinating air and naval operations during its active service period. 

At the time of transfer, all weapon systems are non-functional and will not be restored, eliminating any offensive or defensive combat capability. The ship only retains propulsion systems, navigation equipment, safety systems, and onboard infrastructure required for crew operations and transit. As of now, this configuration limits the Garibaldi's operational use to non-combat roles such as transfer navigation, training, and auxiliary support. The Italian legal classification as a defensive, non-offensive unit is therefore based on both its technical status and intended future. The absence of operational weapons systems removes the possibility of immediate combat deployment, and the ship’s condition requires adaptation before any expanded operational use.

While the transfer configuration aligns with Italy's legal requirements governing the export of obsolete military equipment, the Garibaldi's operational value in the Indonesian navy will depend on subsequent modification programs. Financial evaluation by the Italian government identified the free transfer as the lowest-cost option among available disposal pathways. The Giuseppe Garibaldi’s residual accounting value is €54,022,426.67, while annual maintenance costs for 2025 are estimated at about €5 million, covering energy consumption, security, surveillance, and minimal technical upkeep.

As a reminder, at the time of its construction and commissioning, the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi had an original cost of about 428 billion Italian lire, which corresponds to roughly €1.05 to €1.15 billion in modern terms. Therefore, maintaining the ship in reserve would have required continued allocation of additional funds without operational return. Demolition was assessed at €18.7 million with a minimum duration of 24 months, with additional financial risk if no buyer for scrap materials emerged. Conversion into a museum required an estimated €100 million initial investment and annual operating costs of about €35 million, including infrastructure modifications and compliance with safety regulations. 

The free transfer of the Giuseppe Garibaldi to Indonesia, therefore, converts a continuing financial liability into a cost-neutral outcome. The financial rationale was the primary factor in the decision, as it eliminates recurring maintenance costs and avoids disposal expenses. The transfer is also part of a broader industrial cooperation between Italy and Indonesia, following the sale of two PPA-class vessels valued at about $1.25 billion. Additional programs under discussion reportedly include six DGK-class submarines estimated at €480 million, M-346 aircraft valued at about €600 million, and three maritime patrol aircraft worth about €450 million. The transfer of the Garibaldi might provide a basis for further negotiations on future procurement opportunities between the two countries’ defense industries. 

Indonesia’s Navy is organized into three fleet commands covering western, central, and eastern maritime zones across an archipelago exceeding 17,000 islands. Strategic priorities include maritime domain control, protection of sea lines of communication, and response to security and natural disaster scenarios. Budget constraints limit the acquisition of new large naval units, requiring a combination of new and second-hand assets. Within this structure, the Garibaldi in its current state is expected to serve firstly as a command ship, training unit, and support vessel. Its onboard facilities allow coordination of operations and logistical support, reflecting operational requirements shaped by Indonesia's geography and resource limitations.

The Garibaldi was originally configured for vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aviation operations, with an embarked air wing typically composed of 8 to 12 AV-8B Harrier II fighter jets assigned to strike and air defense missions, later progressively replaced by F-35s, alongside 4 to 6 anti-submarine warfare and utility helicopters such as the SH-3D and later the AW101. The total aviation capacity reached about 16 to 18 aircraft when combining hangar and flight deck space, reflecting a balanced configuration between fixed-wing and rotary assets. The flight deck, approximately 174 meters in length, incorporates a ski-jump ramp with an angle of about 4 degrees, enabling short takeoff operations while maintaining space for helicopter activity.

This layout allowed simultaneous management of different aircraft types, supporting both combat and support missions. Following the decommissioning, no fixed-wing combat aviation capability was retained, and all systems associated with Harrier operations became functionally redundant. The aviation infrastructure remains physically present but would require adaptation or modernization to support alternative uses. According to available information, Indonesian planning discussions conducted between 2025 and 2026 focus on converting the ship for unmanned aerial vehicle and helicopter operations.

An indicative air wing could be centered on medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions over maritime approaches, complemented by tactical naval UAVs for surveillance and targeting and transport helicopters for logistics and disaster response. The existing ski-jump configuration has demonstrated compatibility with naval UAV operations in comparable trials involving TB3 drones, supporting its potential reuse without major structural changes to the deck profile. Budget planning includes about $450 million allocated for acquisition and refit of the ship, with additional funding envisaged for embarked aviation assets, including up to 60 naval UAVs and 9 MALE-class systems.

Refit options were presented in mid-2025 by an Italian shipbuilder delegation, while Indonesian companies such as PT PAL and Republikorp have been identified as potential actors for domestic modification work. Required changes would include the reconfiguration of the flight deck and hangar to accommodate smaller UAV footprints and higher sortie rates, integration of drone control stations, data links, and maintenance facilities, and removal or reduction of systems dedicated to Harrier support. Constraints remain significant, including legacy power generation capacity, onboard architecture, and deck handling systems not optimized for high drone density, as well as the need for substantial modernization of command, control, and data systems and continued reliance on external assets for sensor fusion and targeting.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.