(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Malaysia Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin received a courtesy visit from the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Malaysia, Rashed Mohammed Rashed ALSALEH today, with among the key topics discussed was Malaysia’s interest in acquiring F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from the Kuwaiti Air Force.
In a statement on his official Facebook account today, the Defence Minister expressed Malaysia’s pleasure at the positive developments in bilateral and defense relations between Malaysia and Kuwait.
He mentioned that defense cooperation between the two countries would be further strengthened through a forthcoming Memorandum of Understanding.
“One of the topics discussed was Malaysia’s interest in acquiring F/A-18 Legacy Hornet fighter jets from the Kuwaiti Air Force (KAF), following KAF’s acquisition of its new Super Hornets,” he stated in his latest Facebook post.
The meeting also addressed “Military-to-Military Cooperation,” defense industry collaboration, and the conflict in Gaza.
Minister Mohamed Khaled expressed hope that defense relations between Malaysia and Kuwait would continue to grow, benefiting both nations.
Also present at the meeting were the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief, General Tan Sri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan Tuan Mohd Yani Daud, and the Deputy Secretary-General (Policy) of the Ministry of Defense.
In June, an RMAF technical team visited Kuwait for discussions regarding the acquisition of the fighter jets.
General Tan Sri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan reported that the Kuwaiti Air Force’s F/A-18D Hornet jets were still in good condition and had lower operational hours compared to the existing RMAF Hornet jets.
“RMAF remains hopeful about acquiring the F/A-18D Hornet fighter jets, despite the delay in Kuwait’s delivery of its newly purchased F/A-18E/F Super Hornets,” he said to local media in May.
Kuwait has 39 F/A-18D Hornet jets, comprising both single and dual-seat aircraft.
The RMAF and the Malaysian government will determine the number of jets needed during the upcoming visit.
A few days ago, Deputy Defense Minister Adly Zahari stated that the Ministry of Defence would decide on the acquisition of the used F/A-18 C/D Hornet jets from the Kuwaiti Air Force only after receiving a comprehensive report from the RMAF technical team.
In March of last year, the Ministry of Defence expressed hope to acquire the used F/A-18C/D Hornet jets from Kuwait. However, this plan was stalled due to a lack of commitment from the Middle Eastern country.
Former Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan, commonly known as “Tok Mat,” mentioned that the ministry, along with previous Defense Ministers, had written three times to the Kuwaiti government expressing Malaysia’s interest in acquiring the used F/A-18C/D Hornet jets.
Despite being used, these jets still have low flight hours and have been upgraded.
Malaysia plans to purchase the F/A-18 C/D Hornet jets from the Kuwaiti Air Force as a temporary measure until the RMAF is equipped with new MRCA jets.
The Kuwaiti Air Force decided to retire its F/A-18 C/D jets after acquiring F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and Eurofighter Typhoons.
Kuwait obtained 28 Super Hornets, consisting of 22 single-seat F/A-18E and six dual-seat F/A-18F Super Hornets, which will operate from Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base.
In addition to the Super Hornet fighter jets, Kuwait also purchased 28 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, developed by BAE Systems, valued at approximately US$8.7 billion.— DSA