Indonesia had allocated a budget of 450 million dollars for the acquisition process of the Garibaldi ship, the former aircraft carrier built by Fincantieri and flagship of the Italian Navy for almost 30 years, but now it will get it for free.
On March 3, the Senate Defense Committee examined a government decree draft submitted by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto to the Chambers last February 19, which provides for the free transfer of the Garibaldi ship to the Navy of the Republic of Indonesia. A dossier from the Defense General Staff accompanies the proposal and explains the reasons why Italy should transfer the ship, which was the flagship of the Italian fleet until 2011.
In 2022 it was hypothesized to use it as a museum ship in Genoa or for launching satellites from the sea, until negotiations between the Indonesian Navy and Italy for the acquisition of the decommissioned aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi.
So much so that last September the Indonesian government allocated a budget of 450 million dollars for the sale process of the former Italian Navy aircraft carrier, 250 million dollars for “transport helicopters” (probably referring to AW-101 class helicopters) and 300 million dollars for utility helicopters.
What happened to that sale? Now Jakarta will actually receive the Garibaldi ship free of charge.
However, the operation would be linked to new possible orders: Indonesia could purchase six DGK class submarines produced by Drass for 480 million euros, 24 Leonardo M-346 training aircraft for about 600 million, and three maritime patrol aircraft for 450 million euros.
All the details.
HOW A FREE TRANSFER OF ARMAMENTS WORKS
First of all, the dossier under examination by the Chambers explains that the practice of “transfer of armament materials declared obsolete for technical reasons in favor of the indicated subjects” – in the specific case of the Naval Unit Garibaldi in favor of the Indonesian Navy – is “allowed exclusively for defensive materials subject to a binding opinion from the competent parliamentary Committees.”
THE STRATEGY OF THE ROME GOVERNMENT
Then, regarding the purposes of the transfer under examination, the government states that the same “aims to strengthen collaboration and cooperation between the Italian Armed Forces and the Indonesian Armed Forces, framed within the support to the institutions of the mentioned country. The exchange of materials within Defense contributes to increasing interoperability between the respective systems and, moreover, represents an essential premise in view of a shared desire to operate jointly and synergistically in various crisis situations (both bilaterally and multilaterally).”
As Pietro Batacchi, director of Rid, had already commented last spring, relations between Indonesia and Italy are currently very good, as evidenced, just to stay in the naval field, by the acquisition by the Indonesian Navy of the 2 Ppa. Fincantieri will soon deliver patrol vessels 5 and 6 to Indonesia, namely Marcantonio Colonna and Ruggiero di Lauria.
PREVIOUS FREE TRANSFERS
Moreover, the current dossier highlights that it is not the first time the Italian government resorts to free transfers of armaments no longer in use by the Italian State to other States.
It recalls the case in the previous legislature of the “free transfer of armament material in favor of the Somali Police Force of the Federal Republic of Somalia of no. 2 VM-90P (Multirole Vehicle in the Protected version); no. 200 square shields (brand Mirafan); no. 200 helmets with mask (brand Protos9); no. 50 round shields (Government act no. 195).”
Also during the previous legislature, the free transfer of armament material to the Moldovan Carabinieri Troops Department (DTC) and another in favor of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Niger were approved.
THE VALUE OF THE OPERATION
But let’s return to the future of the Garibaldi ship, the Italian aircraft carrier that served in the Navy from 1985 until its retirement in October 2024, with the entry into service of Trieste, the amphibious assault ship or LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock) delivered by Fincantieri to the Navy last December 7.
The sheet under examination by the Defense Committees of the Chamber and Senate explains that “the free transfer of the naval unit to the counterpart, for an estimated total value of about €54,022,426.67, does not entail additional charges to the State budget, as it does not generate new expenditure commitments for the Defense Administration.”
IN LIGHT OF MAINTENANCE COSTS…
The report states that the transfer allows avoiding significant maintenance costs for the Garibaldi ship – with its 180 meters in length and 30 in width at the deck – currently borne by the Navy, which for the year 2025 are estimated at about 5 million euros, related to electricity consumption, surveillance services, security, and minimal activities necessary to guarantee the livability and integrity of the platform.
… OR HULL DEMOLITION
Not only that. The report highlights that if the naval unit were not transferred, the Navy would have to start the disposal procedure aimed at subsequent demolition. This process would have an estimated duration of no less than 24 months and would involve total costs estimated at about 18.7 million euros.
“Additional charges could be added to these amounts at the Administration’s expense if the demolition were to be carried out at a cost, in the event – already occurred, according to the report, in previous experiences – that no economic operator submits valid offers for the acquisition of the hull intended for demolition,” the sheet specifies.
“THE MOST ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE OPTION”
Finally, in light of this, the free transfer of the naval unit would represent the most economically sustainable option and, overall, the most convenient compared to alternative hypotheses of reserve maintenance or disposal, as it allows eliminating certain and significant costs and containing the Administration’s exposure to further potential future charges.
OTHER OPTIONS VANISHED
The hypothesis of avoiding retirement for “the lady of the sea” on Italian waters has thus gone up in smoke. As recalled at the beginning, a few years ago “a second life for the old cruiser, more experimental than operational, was outlined. It seems it was chosen to become a mobile naval platform to perform launches of space carriers to place nano and/or micro satellites into low orbit for military and civil uses. This is the SIMONA project or Naval Orbital Launch System, which is part of the National Military Research Plan,” reported Startmag.
If the project had gone through, the ship would have had to undergo significant modifications to adapt to the new role: operating as a light aircraft carrier or amphibious assault helicopter carrier is indeed very different from functioning as a space launch platform.
Furthermore, with the free transfer to Indonesia, the former aircraft carrier Garibaldi will not even become Italy’s first floating naval museum. For this reason, strong controversies have not been lacking: Five Star Movement senator Mario Turco, vice president of the Movement, has already announced an inquiry because he argues that the ship could have generated significant tourist and cultural income, capable of strengthening the maritime identity of Taranto and the Apulia region in general.
AND THE SALE ANNOUNCED IN SEPTEMBER?
However, the reason for the shift from news of a sale to Indonesia to the current decision to proceed with a free transfer of the Garibaldi ship remains to be clarified.
As Corriere recalled on September 28, 2025, “Jakarta’s interest emerged in May 2024, when Admiral Muhammad Ali, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy, boarded the former Italian aircraft carrier. A few months later, on the occasion of the Indodefence fair, Fincantieri, which does not comment on the rumor, presented the project to transform the ship into a platform for aerial and naval drones, which evidently convinced the Indonesians.”
From there, a report by Zona Militar stated that the Indonesian government had allocated a budget of 450 million dollars for the purchase of the ship and the equipment necessary for its operation, 250 million dollars for “transport helicopters” (probably referring to AW-101 class helicopters) and 300 million dollars for utility helicopters.
But now it is no longer a matter of sale, but of free transfer, as can be seen from the government decree draft.
“The Giuseppe Garibaldi is a donation from the Italian government. The budget prepared by the Indonesian government is intended for adaptation needs to meet the operational requirements of the TNI Angkatan Laut [Indonesian Navy],” declared to Indonesian media the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defense, General Rico Ricardo Sirait, also reported by Zona Militar last February 16.
Thus, confirmation of the free delivery of the Garibaldi ship came from Indonesia. But why did Italy give up the sale of the first aircraft carrier of the Italian Navy?
NOT ONLY FINCANTIERI, THE INDUSTRIAL IMPACTS FOR DRASS AND LEONARDO
An answer from the Italian counterpart, albeit implicit, can be found again in the General Staff dossier.
From an industrial and economic perspective, the report notes how the recent sale to Indonesia of two Ppa class naval units built by Fincantieri, for a total value of about 1.25 billion dollars, “has initiated a channel of industrial cooperation of particular importance.”
“This path could be further strengthened also through the transfer of the Garibaldi Ship, with possible positive repercussions for the national industrial system,” the Defense dossier emphasizes. Among these, the report highlights: the conclusion of further orders in the naval sector, including the supply of six DGK class submarines built by Drass, for an estimated value of about 480 million euros; the definition of contracts for the supply of Leonardo M-346 aircraft, for an indicative amount of about 600 million euros; and the supply of three maritime patrol aircraft, for an estimated value of about 450 million euros.
The parliamentary Committees will then have to express their opinion by March 16. The transfer is expected to be finalized by December 2026, it is hypothesized in the decree draft.
Indonesia, for its part, hopes for a somewhat earlier date: Chief of Staff of the Navy Admiral Muhammad Ali has expressed the hope that the Garibaldi ship can arrive in the country before or around October 5, the anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
