Indonesia has taken a significant administrative step toward acquiring the decommissioned Italian aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi by authorizing foreign-loan financing that could cover the ship and supporting helicopter purchases. BAPPENAS’s August 2025 letter to the defense ministry sets out ceilings of up to $450 million for the carrier, $250 million for transport helicopters, and $300 million for utility helicopters — financing that could be arranged through export credits, bilateral loans, or private lenders. While procurement documents do not explicitly state that the helicopters will be embarked from the carrier, presentations at Indodefence 2025 and discussions with Italian firms indicate that Jakarta envisions a carrier adapted for rotary-wing operations and unmanned aerial systems. Local defense companies also displayed refit concepts that included two-island layouts and compatibility with navalized Bayraktar TB3 UAVs, which Indonesia is already pursuing through industrial arrangements with Turkish manufacturers. Fincantieri personnel and engineers have engaged Indonesian officials with proposals for refitting Garibaldi to accept helicopter and drone operations, though detailed costings and schedules have not been finalized publicly. The financing approval therefore represents a policy-level commitment to pursue a carrier acquisition pathway and to invest in the aviation assets and industrial partnerships needed to operate it. If completed, the project would expand Indonesia’s maritime aviation capabilities and further integration of locally produced or co-manufactured unmanned systems and helicopters into its naval strategy.
