THE Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will be sending a team to Kuwait to negotiate the acquisition of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from the country.

Air Force Chief, General Tan Sri Mohd. Asghar Khan Goriman Khan, stated that a technical visit to the country will take place soon, with the executing team to be formed next month.

“Possibly in June (the visit), God willing, we will establish a team to carry out the technical visit there. Through this visit, the government and RMAF will decide on the number of Hornet aircraft to be acquired to strengthen the country’s air defense,” he said after presiding over the Conclusion Parade of the Young Airmen Training at the Air Force Academy recently.

Mohd. Asghar Khan mentioned that RMAF currently operates eight F/A-18D Hornet aircraft from the United States purchased in 1995 and started operating two years later.

“Kuwait has 39 Hornet aircraft with two-seater and single-seater variants. From this visit, we will determine the required number. If the visit yields positive results until 2035, RMAF may decide to purchase them,” he said.

Kuwait is set to retire the aircraft purchased in 1991 and replace them with more modern fighter jets.

RMAF has shown interest in acquiring Hornets from Kuwait since late 2021, considering the good condition of the fighter jet fleet and their relatively low flight hours. Let’s hope this process goes smoothly, and RMAF can strengthen their fleet.