Malaysia finalizing acquisition of ex-Kuwaiti F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters
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| A F/A-18C Hornet of the Kuwait Air Force. Photo c/o Defence Security Asia. |
The Malaysian Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said during an event that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is expecting the finalization of a deal with Kuwait within the year for the acquisition of 30 used F/A-18C/D Hornet twin-engine fighters.
Min. Zahari said that the discussions with Kuwait is in the final stages after the Kuwait Air Force agreement to transfer the aircraft.
The United States Government is also involved in providing an approval for the transfer, being the original source of the Hornet fighters. The F/A-18C/D Hornet was built by American aircraft giant Boeing, and were exported to Kuwait starting in 1992.
Malaysia is pushing the acquisition of the Hornet fighters as part of efforts to increase the number of air combat assets of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and further strengthen the country’s defense capabilities.
The RMAF already operates the F/A-18D Hornet, with 8 aircraft delivered in 1997. Previous plans to increase the number of Hornet fighters failed due to several issues including funding and preference for the Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKM Flanker fighter.
Malaysia has been looking for ways to improve its air combat capability after the retirement of its fleet of Russian-made Mikoyan MiG-29N/NUB fighters, and delays in procuring its new Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA).
The acquisition of ex-Kuwaiti F/A-18s is meant to provide the RMAF the needed capability and fleet number in the short and medium term, as It looks for funding its planned acquisition of next generation fighters.
[2] Malay Mail
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February 12, 2025
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