ST. LOUIS, May 29, 1997 -- Four McDonnell Douglas-built (NYSE: MD) F/A-18 Hornets arrived at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Butterworth, Malaysia, May 26. The 8,228 mile flight originated at St. Louis' Lambert International Airport. The state-of-the-art strike fighters touched down in Butterworth at approximately 11:56 a.m. Malaysia time.
The F/A-18Ds are the first four of eight two-seat model Hornets ordered by the RMAF. The remaining four aircraft are scheduled for delivery in August 1997.
Four RMAF pilots and four U.S. Navy pilots manned the controls as the aircraft made their way to Malaysia. The four Hornets were accompanied by a KC-10 tanker aircraft that provided air-to-air refueling. En route to Malaysia, the crew made stopovers in Hawaii and Guam.
The eight Hornets will fulfill strike and interdiction missions as part of the RMAF modernization program. Initially, the aircraft will be used to train RMAF pilots.
McDonnell Douglas is providing a logistical package that will support aircraft operations at the RMAF base at Butterworth. The RMAF Hornets are equipped with the upgraded Hughes APG-73 radar and two General Electric F404-GE-402 enhanced performance engines.
The first flight of a RMAF F/A-18D occurred Feb. 1, 1997, in St. Louis. McDonnell Douglas officially presented the first RMAF F/A-18D to Malaysian Minister of Defence Dato' Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar March 19, 1997.
Malaysia is the first nation in Southeast Asia to purchase and receive the F/A-18. Other countries which have ordered or are currently flying the Hornet are the United States (Navy and Marine Corps), Canada, Australia, Spain, Kuwait, Finland, Switzerland and Thailand.
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