Status of RMAF's Hornet fighter jet procurement programme to be known soon

KUALA LUMPUR: The status of the Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet procurement programme will be announced only after Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin is given the latest update.

Royal Malaysian Air Force chief General Datuk Seri Muhamad Norazlan Aris told the New Straits Times Khaled would be briefed following the return of an RMAF team from the United States.

"I will brief the defence minister on the latest update of the programme, based on a new development from my team returning from the United States on a related programme," he said.

When asked the status of the Kuwaiti Hornet acquisition, Norazlan said such a procurement would require looking into many factors.

These, he said, included future supportability, timeline of the programme and the timeframe in which Kuwait could release the aircraft.

Yesterday, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari was reported to have told the Dewan Rakyat that the programme had been cancelled but that this would not affect the country's air defence planning and capability.

This, he had said, was because the government already has a commitment to procure fighter aircraft from South Korea with its process proceeding according to schedule.

"At the Defence Ministry, we have an air defence capability plan that extends until 2055.

"One of the key considerations is manpower. Sometimes, even when we have assets, the personnel may not be ready, and vice versa.

"However, we maintain a balance — existing aircraft and maintenance will be optimised," he said.

Adly was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN–Kubang Pasu), who asked why the government decided to cancel the fighter jet purchase.

In September, Norazlan had said the RMAF would examine all aspects before making any decision on whether to recommend the procurement of the jets from Kuwait.

Previously, it was reported that the US had approved Malaysia's proposed acquisition of the combat aircraft.

The long-anticipated deal involves around 30 Hornets, a mix of single-seat F/A-18Cs and twin-seat F/A-18Ds which are currently in service with the Kuwaiti Air Force.

Khaled had previously said the aircraft, originally acquired by Kuwait in the 1990s, are generally in good condition.

During his visit to Kuwait last October, Khaled had said the Gulf nation expressed no objections to Malaysia's request to procure its Hornet jets.

The aircraft, despite being 30 years old, have relatively low flight hours of between 1,500 and 3,000.