KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is inching closer towards acquiring Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter jets to beef up the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
The New Straits Times understands details of the procurement are expected to be on the cards during Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin's visit to Kuwait that began yesterday. This is among matters expected to be discussed during Khaled's courtesy call on Kuwait First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah.
Sheikh Fahad is also defence minister and interior minister.
Khaled is also set to have an audience with Kuwait Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
The Kuwait Air Force has 39 F/A-18C and F/A-18D Hornet jets, comprising single-seat and two-seat fighter jets.
Reports about the possible procurement emerged in June when a technical team from the RMAF visited Kuwait to discuss it.
The procurement was also discussed after Kuwaiti ambassador to Malaysia Rashed Mohammad Al-Saleh visited the Defence Ministry the following month.
In August, Khaled said Malay-sia was working with Kuwait about the procurement.
He said Malaysia was waiting for Kuwait's response, adding that from a technical standpoint, the Hornet fighter jets were suitable for RMAF's needs.
He said Kuwait's F/A-18C and F/A-18D Hornets had lower operational hours than the RMAF's existing Hornets.
Malaysia has eight F/A-18D Hornets and 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKMs in its Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) fleet.
RMAF recently purchased 18 South Korean-made FA-50Ms to replace the RMAF's fleet of BAE Hawk 208/108 light fighters and lead-in fighter trainers. The FA-50M aircraft are expected to be delivered in 2026.
This left a gap in the MRCA fleet after the retirement of 16 Russian-made Mikoyan MiG-29N Fulcrums seven years ago.
Plans to replace the MiG-29Ns, optimised for their air defence role, were reportedly put on hold due to budgetary constraints.
The RMAF began its MRCA acquisition programme in 2011, with a planned entry of service date between 2015 and 2016.
While it was initially reported that the RMAF was seeking to procure 18 aircraft, this rose to 24 to 40 new aircraft in 2014.
Experts believe acquiring the F/A-18C and F/A-18D Hornets would improve the RMAF's capabilities, particularly in the South China Sea, where greater militarisation is taking place.