Italy Gifts Giuseppe Garibaldi Ship: Indonesia is expected to get the former Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi from Italian Navy. Reports say the ship will arrive before the Indonesian National Armed Forces Anniversary on October 5, 2026.
Indonesia is not buying the carrier in a normal way. Instead, Italy is giving the ship for free as part of a bigger group of defense deals. Italy will even pay the transfer cost, which is about €54 million, around $64 million. The ship is being given as a bonus while Indonesia buys other military equipment from Italy.
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Indonesia has already sent 100 navy sailors to Italy to train on the carrier. In total, about 500 sailors will need training to fully operate the ship. Some experts believe Indonesia might also try to get up to 30 AV-8B Harrier jets for the carrier. But these jets cost a lot to run. Because of that, some analysts think the ship may mostly use helicopters and drones instead.
New Fighter Jets and Patrol Aircraft
🔴#LDO_PR At the @SGAirshow, #Leonardo announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (#LOI) with PT ESystem Solutions Indonesia and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Republic of #Indonesia (@Kemhan_RI) aimed at cooperating for the supply and support of the Leonardo #M346F… pic.twitter.com/U4QgY77HNn
— Leonardo Aeronautics (@LDO_Aeronautics) February 4, 2026
Indonesia is also making deals with the Italian company Leonardo. In early February, Leonardo signed a letter of intent to supply M-346 F “Block 20” aircraft to Indonesia’s air force. The company did not say the number of jets, but some reports claim 24 aircraft are planned. The deal is said to be worth about €600 million, or $700 million.
These M-346 jets will have modern features. They include a Large Area Display cockpit, active electronically scanned radar, Link 16 data-link, electronic countermeasures, and new weapons systems.
There are also talks about Indonesia buying up to three ATR-72 Maritime Patrol Aircraft from Leonardo. This deal could be worth €350 million. These aircraft are used for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and keeping seas safe.
Some reports also say Indonesia may look at buying six small Italian submarines. This is not confirmed yet. In 2024, Indonesia already ordered two French Scorpène-class submarines. There are also suggestions that Indonesia may buy Italian helicopters.
Indonesia’s Mix of Fighter Jets
Indonesia has one of the most mixed air forces in the world. Many countries try to buy weapons from different places so they are not too dependent on one country. India is an example of this. India once relied heavily on Russian weapons. Later, it started buying French Rafales and American aircraft while building its own defense industry.
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Indonesia has taken this idea even further. Its current combat fleet includes French Rafales, American F-16s, Russian Su-27 and Su-30 jets, British BAE Hawk 200s, South Korean KAI T-50 Golden Eagles, and Brazilian Embraer EMB 314 aircraft.
There are also plans or talks for more French Rafales, South Korean and Indonesian KF-21 jets, Turkish KAAN fighters, Sino-Pakistani JF-17s, Chinese J-20Cs, and Italian M-346 Masters.
Some past deals were canceled. Indonesia dropped plans to buy Russian Su-35s due to CAATSA pressure. It also canceled the American F-15EX order. The United States refused to sell F-35 jets to Indonesia.
Indonesia’s drone fleet is also very mixed. It includes Turkish drones like the Bayraktar Akinci, Chinese drones, and smaller Israeli drones and more
