On 17 September, the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) officially announced that the former Italian Navy aircraft carrier, ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, has entered Indonesian waters. The milestone marks a historic chapter for the service, bringing the country’s first-ever aircraft carrier home.
The carrier, which will be renamed KRI Sriwijaya, departed Taranto, Italy, on 24 August with a mixed Italian and Indonesian crew under Italian Commanding Officer Capt. Marco Guerriero.
During its journey to Indonesia, the ship transited the Suez Canal and made at least two port calls, at Safaga in Egypt and Colombo in Sri Lanka. Italian warships also reportedly escorted the carrier during part of its passage through the Red Sea.
Unlike the two Multipurpose Combat Ship/Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA) frigates that Indonesia also acquired from Italy, the future KRI Sriwijaya entered Indonesia through the Malacca Strait instead of the Sunda Strait.
The two Indonesian Navy PPAs, KRI Brawijaya (320) and KRI Prabu Siliwangi (321), welcomed and escorted the carrier after it entered Indonesian waters. A CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft also took part in the welcoming operation.
The ship had previously been expected to receive the name KRI Gadjah Mada, but the Indonesian Navy later changed the name to KRI Sriwijaya. To note, Sriwijaya was a powerful maritime kingdom based in Sumatra that controlled important regional trade routes and exercised influence across much of maritime Southeast Asia for centuries.
KRI Sriwijaya is expected to arrive at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta on the morning of 18 September. The carrier is also expected to become one of the main features of the Indonesian National Armed Forces’ anniversary celebrations on 5 October.
In its press release, the Indonesian Navy stressed that KRI Sriwijaya will primarily support Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW), particularly humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) missions, as President Prabowo Subianto has instructed.
Inter-Services Flight Operations
Ahead of the carrier’s arrival, the Indonesian military conducted joint inter-service shipboard helicopter training involving the Navy’s AS565 Panther, Air Force’s NAS332 Super Puma and Army’s Bell 412 helicopters.
The training included take-off and landing practice using a mock-up based on the Garibaldi’s flight deck. Pilots also conducted actual shipboard operations from the landing platform dock KRI Makassar (590), with Indonesian Navy aviators sharing their experience in maritime helicopter operations with their Air Force and Army counterparts.
The training forms part of preparations to introduce the carrier into Indonesian service and familiarise helicopter crews from all three services with flight operations from it.
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