en.malanginspirasi.com – Indonesia’s Navy (TNI AL) confirmed on 17 September that the former Italian Navy carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi has arrived in Indonesian waters, a landmark moment that gives the country its first-ever aircraft carrier.
The vesse left Taranto, Italy on 24 August under the command of Italian Capt. Marco Guerriero, with a combined Italian-Indonesian crew aboard.
Its route to Indonesia took it through the Suez Canal, with stops at Safaga, Egypt, and Colombo, Sri Lanka. Italian
naval vessels are said to have provided escort for part of the journey through the Red Sea.
Notably, the carrier’s approach differed from that of the two PPA-class frigates Indonesia previously purchased from Italy: rather than entering via the Sunda Strait, KRI Sriwijaya came through the Malacca Strait.
Baca Juga:
Giuseppe Garibaldi Sets Sail for Indonesia, Set to be Renamed KRI Gajah Mada
Once in Indonesian waters, the carrier was met and escorted by the Navy’s two PPA frigates, KRI Brawijaya (320) and KRI Prabu Siliwangi (321), along with a CN-235 maritime patrol plane that joined the reception effort.
The ship’s name had initially been slated as KRI Gadjah Mada before the Navy settled on KRI Sriwijaya instead.
It becomes a nod to the historic Sriwijaya kingdom, a dominant maritime power that once ruled trade routes from Sumatra and shaped much of Southeast Asia’s seas for hundreds of years.
The schedule of the carrier will dock at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port on the morning of 18 September.
The next plan is to feature prominently in the Indonesian Armed Forces’ anniversary celebrations on 5 October.
According to the Navy’s statement, KRI Sriwijaya’s core role will center on Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) — chiefly humanitarian aid and disaster response — in line with directives from President Prabowo Subianto.
Joint Helicopter Training Across the Services
In preparation for the carrier’s arrival, Indonesia’s military branches carried out joint shipboard helicopter drills, bringing together the Navy’s AS565 Panthers, the Air Force’s NAS332 Super Pumas, and the Army’s Bell 412s.
Crews practiced takeoffs and landings on a replica flight deck modeled after the Garibaldi’s.
They also ran live operations aboard the landing platform dock KRI Makassar (590) — with Navy aviators passing on their maritime flight experience to their Army and Air Force counterparts.
These exercises are part of a broader effort to bring the carrier into full Indonesian service and get helicopter crews from all three branches ready to operate from its deck.
