Malaysia Turns Down the Purchase of F/A-18 Fighters From Kuwait

Malaysia has canceled plans to purchase F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters from Kuwait.

Defence Blog reported this with reference to the Twentytwo13 media.

The refusal to purchase is due to several factors that complicated the transfer of the aircraft and ultimately made it impossible.

Among the main problems are the availability of aircraft, logistical and financial obstacles, as well as the issue of long-term value for the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

Kuwait, which is transitioning to the newer F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets, reportedly will not be able to deliver its older Hornets until it has updated its fleet.

Deliveries of the Super Hornet have already been postponed until 2026, and it is expected to enter service in 2027 or 2028.

Analysts have noted that by the time Kuwait is able to transfer the aircraft, they will be even less suitable for Malaysia’s needs. According to the publication, the Kuwaiti Hornets are actually older than the current fleet of Malaysian F/A-18Ds, which have more advanced software and hardware.

The integration of the fighter jets into the Malaysian Air Force would require significant modernization, new logistical support, and additional downtime during this process.

Experts warned that even with a relatively small number of flight hours, the airframes of the Kuwaiti F/A-18s could face structural fatigue and require expensive repairs.

Another factor was budgetary constraints – the purchase of used aircraft could divert limited funds from the Malaysian armed forces’ priority modernization programs.

The analysts concluded that the purchase would have yielded little return on investment and risked incurring additional costs for modernization, integration, and maintenance. Receiving these aircraft would also require Washington’s approval under defense export regulations. It is unknown how long this would take.

Currently, Malaysia is considering various options for the future procurement of fighter jets as part of its Air Force modernization efforts.