Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Indonesia officially commissioned its first aircraft carrier, KRI Sriwijaya-100, into the Navy on Thursday, marking a major expansion of the country's maritime capabilities following the acquisition of the former Italian Navy vessel Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Indonesian Armed Forces Commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto formally inducted the vessel into the Navy during a ceremony at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta.
The ceremony included the lowering of the Italian naval flag, the raising of Indonesia's red-and-white flag, and the formal renaming of the vessel as KRI Sriwijaya-100. Indonesia's Garuda Pancasila emblem was also installed on the ship's superstructure.
"Today, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, I, Gen. Agus Subiyanto, commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, hereby declare KRI Sriwijaya-100 officially inducted into the Indonesian Navy," Agus said.
Navy Col. Mochamad Fuad Hasan was also formally installed as the vessel's commander.
The ship, formerly known as ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, served with the Italian Navy for more than four decades before being retired from Italian service in 2024. It arrived at Tanjung Priok on Sept. 18 ahead of Thursday's commissioning.
The vessel is 180.2 meters long and has a displacement of about 13,850 tonnes. Its flight deck was designed to support helicopters and short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft.
During its service with the Italian Navy, Giuseppe Garibaldi operated AV-8B Harrier II fighter jets. Indonesia, however, plans to adapt the vessel and its air component to the Navy's own operational requirements.
Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Muhammad Ali said Indonesia is preparing pilots to operate S-70 helicopters from KRI Sriwijaya-100.
"We will train helicopter pilots so that the S-70 can operate from this ship," Ali said.
The Navy also hopes eventually to equip the carrier with combat aircraft capable of vertical takeoff, although no such aircraft acquisition has yet been announced.
Around 400 Indonesian Navy personnel have been assigned to operate the vessel, with about 100 having undergone initial training.
Ali said the crew would continue learning to operate the ship as the Navy develops its capabilities around the new platform.
Retrofit and new missions
Despite Thursday's formal commissioning, the Navy still plans to adapt some of the carrier's systems to Indonesian operational requirements.
Ali said some of the ship's communications equipment used NATO standards and would not be transferred for Indonesian use. The Navy has prepared its own communications systems as part of the adaptation process.
A planned retrofit could take around four to five months, although the Navy has yet to decide whether the vessel will first undertake operational assignments or undergo the work immediately. Ali said the ship itself remained in good condition and was operationally ready.
Beyond conventional defense missions, KRI Sriwijaya-100 is expected to serve as a maritime command platform and support humanitarian operations across the Indonesian archipelago.
The vessel could be deployed for disaster response, humanitarian aid distribution and operations supporting efforts to combat forest and land fires, according to the Navy.
The name Sriwijaya refers to the powerful maritime kingdom that flourished centuries ago around present-day South Sumatra and exercised extensive influence over maritime trade routes in Southeast Asia.
Ali said the name was chosen to reflect Indonesia's long maritime history and the historical significance of Sriwijaya as a major seafaring power.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-commissions-its-first-aircraft-carrier-kri-sriwijaya10