Indonesia just received a 'free' 40-year-old aircraft carrier from Italy, why?
Cheap to buy, expensive to keep.
On September 16, a forty-year-old aircraft carrier named ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi was spotted making its final leg of a 20-day journey from Italy to Indonesia, where it would become the KRI Sriwijaya, the newest addition to Indonesia's navy. The carrier, originally designed for anti-submarine missions, is being repurposed to serve as a firefighter, with potential use in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and haze-fighting efforts.
This is Indonesia's second aircraft carrier still in service, following Thailand's HTMS Chakri Naruebet. The ship is expected to serve as a mobile hub for various branches of the Indonesian military, including the army, navy, and air force, as well as for potential drone operations, such as the Turkish-origin Bayraktar TB3. The cost of operating the ship is estimated to be around $450 million (S$575 million), with Indonesia borrowing funds for repairs and equipment.
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