Indonesia Upgrades Purchased Italian Aircraft Carrier, Former Giuseppe Garibaldi

Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri and Indonesian state-owned PT PAL Indonesia have signed a memorandum on the future modernization of the KRI Sriwijaya aircraft carrier, formerly the Italian Navy’s Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Fincantieri’s official page reported this.

Under the memorandum, the parties will jointly define the scope of the ship’s modernization, the work to be performed, and the division of responsibilities.

Fincantieri will draw on its experience in designing and building the ship, while PT PAL Indonesia will carry out the work based on its expertise in shipbuilding, systems integration, maintenance, and repair.

The companies also plan to involve other industrial partners and technology companies from Italy and Indonesia in the program. According to Fincantieri, this will enable the integration of modern technologies, development of local industrial capabilities, and expansion of technological cooperation between the two countries.

Fincantieri noted that the agreement to modernize the KRI Sriwijaya continues the development of naval cooperation between Italy and Indonesia.

Earlier, the company transferred two PPA-class multipurpose combat ships to Indonesia — KRI Brawijaya-320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321.

Sale of Giuseppe Garibaldi

Indonesia got interested in acquiring Giuseppe Garibaldi in early 2025. Initially, the parties considered several options for transferring the ship, including purchasing it with auxiliary equipment.

In July 2025, Fincantieri proposed converting the ship for helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle operations.

Negotiations between Italy and Indonesia continued into early 2026, but the parties ultimately opted to transfer the ship free of charge as a military grant.

Italy agreed to transfer Giuseppe Garibaldi for free, allowing it to avoid further costs associated with maintaining and disposing of the ship after it was retired from service in 2024.

In July 2026, the Indonesian parliament approved the acquisition of Giuseppe Garibaldi as part of foreign military assistance.

At the same time, Indonesia would independently finance the ship’s conversion and modernization to meet the Indonesian Navy’s requirements.

On August 24, 2026, Giuseppe Garibaldi departed Taranto for Indonesia. The ship traveled approximately 6,870 nautical miles through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean, and arrived in Jakarta on September 18.

On September 24, 2026, Indonesia officially commissioned the ship into its Navy and renamed it KRI Sriwijaya-100. A flag-changing ceremony and the ship’s commissioning into the Indonesian Navy took place the same day.