The ever-growing presence of Chinese aircraft carriers in the South China Sea has led to other regional powers desiring their own vessel to project influence over the contested waters.
In recent years, there has been a naval “arms race” brewing in the Indo-Pacific.
Numerous nations have responded to China’s rapid expansion of its maritime capabilities, notably its aircraft carriers. Two carriers are in service, with a third undergoing sea trials. Whenever production starts, Beijing’s fourth carrier will likely be far more significant and likely nuclear-powered.
China’s regional rivals have responded by building or, in some cases, buying their respective carriers. The newest potential carrier operator could be Indonesia, which is considering purchasing the Italian Navy’s assault helicopter carrier/aircraft carrier, the ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi.
According to a report from the international military analyst firm Janes, “The carrier, launched in 1985, was placed in reserve in October 2024. A deal could include the transfer of some of the Italian Navy’s thirty AV-8B Harrier II short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft,” while any “transfer would be in line with the Indonesian Navy’s Minimum Essential Force (MEF) plan, which includes at least four helicopter-carrying vessels, four frigates, and several missile patrol boats.”
The ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi is far smaller than the Type 001 Liaoning, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ‘s first carrier. However, it could give Jakarta the same jumpstart in carrier operations that Beijing had with its first carrier.
The Type 001 Liaoning was initially laid down during the Cold War in the former Soviet Union. Following its dissolution, Ukraine sold the unfinished warship to a Chinese firm before refurbishing it.
Other countries, including Australia, Brazil and India, have acquired retired carriers, albeit with mixed results.
Still A Capable Carrier
Despite being far smaller than China’s carriers, the Italian vessel is outfitted with a ski jump deck, and can operate with sixteen short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft or eighteen helicopters.
As noted by Janes, any deal between Rome and Jakarta would likely include some of the aircraft, and likely even training on the Harrier IIs, Italy being one of its primary users.
“The version [of the Harrier II] adopted by the Italian Navy is armed with a 25mm gun with 300 rounds, installed in a pod under the fuselage, AMRAAM medium-range, radar-guided missiles and AIM-9 Sidewinder IR-guided missiles in close range engagements. In air defense missions, its multi-mode radar can ensure the target lock-on. In contrast, in attack missions it carries out terrain mapping, target detection and tracking in adverse weather conditions,” Dario Leone wrote for The Aviation Geek Club.
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is now retiring its Harrier II fleet, and at least some of those aircraft may still have flight hours left. Indonesia could offer some of those aircraft, especially as it could give the United States another partner to convert China into the Indo-Pacific.
Other Regional Powers Look To Carriers
The Indian Navy’s carrier operations even predate the PLAN’s.
Still, New Delhi followed Beijing’s lead in the past decade by domestically designing and building a flattop capable of operating with fixed-wing aircraft.
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has also responded to the PLAN’s carrier ambitions by converting its two Izumo-class multirole destroyers, which were designed to operate with helicopters, into de facto carriers. This marks the first time since World War II that Tokyo has had warships operating with fixed-wing aircraft. The JMSDF’s two flattops will operate with the F-35B above.
South Korea has also been exploring building its first carrier, which could utilize the F-35B in future airwing.
Though none of these aircraft carriers may be as capable as those in service with the PLAN, the combined numbers will ensure that Beijing won’t be able to maintain uncontested control of the regional waters. This also means that America’s partners won’t have to depend entirely on the U.S. Navy, which has been increasingly spread thin in the Indo-Pacific.
About The Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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