Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Muhammad Ali said the vessel is still in the acquisition process and is targeted to reach Indonesia before the Indonesian Military’s anniversary.
“For Garibaldi, it is still in process. We hope it can arrive in Indonesia before the TNI anniversary,” Ali said, adding that the government, through the Defense Ministry, is still negotiating with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, which produced the Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Negotiations are also ongoing between the Defense Ministry and the Italian Navy, which previously operated the aircraft carrier, Ali told reporters at the Naval Military Police headquarters in Central Jakarta on Thursday.
He did not disclose details of the negotiations. Earlier, Navy Spokesperson Commodore Tunggul said the carrier would be deployed primarily for military operations other than war, known as OMSP.
“The aircraft carrier will be used for OMSP missions,” Tunggul told ANTARA in Jakarta.
OMSP missions include humanitarian operations frequently conducted by the military during emergencies, such as evacuations during natural disasters or large-scale accidents.
Deploying peacekeeping troops to conflict areas also falls under the OMSP category, he said.
Tunggul said the carrier is well suited for such missions because it can transport large volumes of logistics, has long range and is equipped with extensive onboard facilities.
He added that the navy does not rule out using the vessel for combat operations if required.
Indonesia is currently seeking to acquire the carrier from the Italian Navy, although Tunggul declined to detail the acquisition process.
He also did not disclose how much the Defense Ministry would pay to secure the vessel.
The carrier shares a manufacturer with two new Indonesian warships, KRI Brawijaya 320 and KRI Prabu Siliwangi 321, both built by Italy’s Fincantieri.
The 180.2-meter vessel can reach 30 knots, or about 56 kph, and is equipped with radar jamming systems and weapons including Mk.29 Sea Sparrow or Selenia Aspide launchers, twin 40L70 DARDO guns, triple 324 mm torpedo tubes and Otomat Mk 2 anti-ship missiles.
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Translator: Walda M, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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