KUALA LUMPUR – The long-delayed deal to acquire surplus Kuwaiti Air Force (KAF) F/A-18C/D Hornets to supplement the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s (RMAF) fleet has reportedly been cancelled.
Sources confirmed to local news site Twentytwo13 that the decision, which marks the end of years of uncertainty, stems from a series of complex factors that have made the deal increasingly unfeasible.
One key issue was the ongoing delay in Kuwait’s transition to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which has now been pushed back to 2026.
This shift has created uncertainty surrounding the availability of the Kuwaiti Hornets, which Malaysia was set to receive only after the delivery of Kuwait’s new Super Hornets.
The proposal, first introduced in 2017, involved Kuwait replacing its ageing fleet of Hornets with 28 Super Hornets and a similar number of Eurofighter Typhoons.
However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, delivery of the Super Hornets was delayed, and further complications arose as the US Navy’s requirements for new Super Hornets took precedence, further pushing back Kuwait’s own delivery schedule.
The RMAF had been preparing to assess the Kuwaiti aircraft, with plans for a technical mission to Kuwait in September 2025.
However, several logistical and financial concerns about the aircraft’s condition, integration challenges, and lack of long-term support from the US raised further doubts.
For one, the F/A-18C/D Hornets offered by Kuwait are equipped with an outdated software configuration, requiring an expensive and time-consuming upgrade to match the RMAF’s own fleet.
Experts estimate that the cost of upgrading each aircraft could be as high as US$4 million, with potential delays stretching over a year for retrofitting, the Twentytwo13 report noted.
Moreover, the jets are over three decades old and, while their flying hours are relatively low, they are structurally fatigued and technologically outdated.
In contrast, the RMAF’s upgraded fleet features more advanced systems, including AN/APG-73 radars and Link-16 datalinks. Bringing the Kuwaiti Hornets up to the same standard would require significant resources.
Adding to the complications, Malaysia’s existing fleet of F/A-18D Hornets has faced operational challenges of its own.
On August 21, 2025, a RMAF F/A-18D crashed during a routine night training flight at Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport, located at Kuantan Air Base.
The aircraft, which had been in service since 1997, caught fire shortly after takeoff. Fortunately, both crew members—Major Mohamad Azhar Alang Kamarudin, the pilot, and Captain Mohamad Izzuddin Mohamad Salleh, the weapons system officer—successfully ejected and survived with minor injuries. They were treated at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital before being transferred to the Armed Forces Hospital for monitoring.
This incident marked the first total loss of a RMAF Hornet since the fleet’s induction, with previous mishaps involving emergency landings but no crashes.
The ongoing incident has cast a spotlight on the ageing fleet of Hornets, which have undergone several upgrades since their acquisition, including a structural life extension in 2011, a weapons systems upgrade in 2017, and heavy maintenance in 2022.
While the RMAF's fleet is scheduled for retirement between 2032 and 2035, questions over the sustainability and future of the aircraft have only deepened.
The RMAF’s limited defence budget also posed a concern. Critics argued that investing in the Kuwaiti Hornets would divert funds from more urgent needs, including the long-term CAP55 modernisation plan.
With regional forces rapidly inducting fifth-generation fighters, analysts questioned the value of acquiring ageing aircraft that would only serve as a stopgap.
“There’s no real return on investment here,” one source was quoted as saying.
“By the time the ex-Kuwaiti Hornets arrive and are made operational, they’ll be a few short years away from being phased out. That’s just a costly stopgap with no real ROI.”
Given these challenges, the decision to walk away from the deal has been seen as a more prudent approach, allowing the RMAF to focus its resources on modernising its fleet with more future-proof platforms. - August 25, 2025
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