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THE Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) ageing fleet of F/A-18D Hornet fighter jets remain operationally capable and airworthy, provided they are maintained systematically and holistically, according to a local aviation expert.
Associate Professor Major Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian of Universiti Kuala Lumpur Business School said the Hornets, acquired by the Malaysian government in 1993 and delivered to the RMAF in 1997, still possess the capacity to fly missions effectively — even more than 30 years on.
“The Hornet aircraft still has the capacity to fly and conduct sorties or missions because the durability of the aircraft depends on the operational stresses exerted on it and its components,” he told Harian Metro.
“It also depends on the type of sortie or mission it carries out. If the aircraft is maintained in a systematic and holistic manner, there is no issue with continuing to operate it for missions,” he added.
Dr Mohd Harridon was commenting in light of the recent crash involving one of the RMAF’s Hornets, which went down shortly after take-off from Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport (RMAF Kuantan Air Base) in Pahang at 9.05pm last night.
He noted that the RMAF’s Hornets are equipped with an Equipment Condition Monitoring System that continuously monitors the status and capability of the aircraft in real time.
“Each time a Hornet completes a sortie, the aircraft's memory unit is removed and the flight data is extracted and analysed to determine whether any snag or anomaly occurred during the mission,” he said.
He explained that the Hornets are maintained based on data analysis, which combines predictive maintenance and scheduled servicing, a method also practised by the air forces of the United States, Japan, and other nations.
“In Japan, the F-4 Phantom II fighter jets were in use for 50 years due to a robust maintenance and upgrade programme,” he said.
“Similarly, the RMAF has already undertaken several programmes to extend the service life of the Hornets, all of which comply with sound technical and engineering protocols.”
Dr Mohd Harridon further stated that the Malaysian government has taken proactive steps to modernise its air force capabilities with the purchase of new fighter jets from South Korea.
“This move will further enhance the nation’s force multiplication capabilities and significantly improve the relative safety and modernity of our flight operations,” he said. - August 22, 2025
