Tragedy seems to have struck the  F-18 Hornet family, with an unprecedented string of crashes involving legacy Hornets, Super Hornets, and Growler variants reported in less than a year.

In an unfortunate coincidence this week, a Malaysian F/A-18 Hornet crashed just a day after a US Navy Super Hornet met a similar fate.

The Malaysian F/A-18 Hornet fighter reportedly crashed on the runway of Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport in Kuantan during takeoff on the night of August 21. The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) later confirmed the incident, saying that one of its F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets was involved in an accident.

“We would like to inform you of an accident involving an F/A-18D Hornet at 9.05 pm on Aug 21 at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport in Kuantan. We are taking immediate action and will update on the latest development,” the service said in a statement. Both pilots ejected themselves from the cockpit before the crash and are now undergoing treatment.

Shortly after the incident, videos of the incident started surfacing on social media, showing the aircraft’s engine bursting into flames during takeoff. The RMAF has since issued an advisory to the citizens, urging them not to post unverified reports and footage.

While the cause of the crash was not immediately known, the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for a “thorough probe” into the crash.

This is reportedly the first crash involving the two-seat F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet since it went into service in 1997. Before this, one of these fighter jets reported a failure after takeoff at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace show in 2019. However, the aircraft was able to land safely using just one engine.

Earlier, a Finnish Force F/A-18C Hornet fighter jet had crashed near Rovaniemi Airport (RVN) in northern Finland on May 7 while it was on a demonstration flight focused on aerobatic maneuvers. The aircraft crashed just five minutes after takeoff. The pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft.

Earlier, the US Navy had lost an F/A-18D Hornet in a crash in August 2023. The two-seater aircraft, operated by Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron, crashed shortly after takeoff during a training flight as part of Service Level Training Exercise 5-23. The pilot was unfortunately killed in the accident.

It is pertinent to note that, unlike Finland and the US, Malaysia currently operates a fleet of just eight F/A-18D (now seven) jets that are operated by the 18th Squadron at Butterworth Air Base.

The aging aircraft are fast approaching the end of their life, which is why Malaysia is in the process of acquiring up to 30–33 second-hand but upgraded F/A-18C/D Hornets from the Kuwait Air Force. The finalisation of the deal is expected sometime this year.

In recent years, Malaysia’s current fighter fleet has seen attrition. The recent phase-out of the BAE Hawk light attack fleet and the 2017 retirement of 16 MiG-29Ns have resulted in gaps in capabilities.

Even though there are still 18 Su-30MKM aircraft of Russian origin in service, the Air Force has had trouble simultaneously defending Peninsular and East Malaysia. With the Kuwaiti Hornets still away, the latest crash spells bad news for RMAF.

That said, the Malaysian crash came just one day after the US Navy lost an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet off the coast of Virginia on the morning of August 20.

The aircraft assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 83 crashed during a routine training flight, the US Navy said. The pilot had ejected and was rescued by the search team. The cause of the crash is not known, and the incident is now under investigation.

While the Hornet is now supposedly a legacy aircraft, it is the crash of its upgraded variant—the F/A-18E/F—that has sent alarm bells ringing across the United States military.

The Super Hornet variant is only operated by the United States and Australia. While the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has reported no crashes, the US has lost about six of these aircraft, priced at about $60 million, in just over ten months.

Super Hornets Are Crashing

The string of accidents involving the Super Hornet began in October 2024 when an EA-18G Growler, which is the electronic warfare (EW) equivalent of the F/A-18E Super Hornet, crashed Near Mount Rainier, Washington State, USA. The aircraft reportedly crashed during a routine training flight and turned out to be very fatal, as both pilots were killed. 

Following this, the Super Hornets were deployed aboard aircraft carriers dispatched to the West Asian region to battle the Yemen-based Houthis. The US lost three Super Hornets in the Red Sea alone.

In December 2024, a Super Hornet was lost in the case of friendly fire, when it was shot down by the US missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. The incident happened over the Red Sea after the Super Hornet, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, was on a mission to protect merchant vessels from Houthi rebels.

At the time, the absence of positive target identification and lack of human situational awareness were believed to be potential causes of the incident.

While the reason behind the friendly fire is still being investigated, the incident highlighted that the primary causes of fratricide have remained constant despite rapid changes in technology and the increasing complexity of US air-land operations.

On April 28, 2025, another aircraft was lost when the USS Harry S. Truman did an evasive maneuver in the face of fire from Yemen-based Houthi rebels.

This sharp turn resulted in the aircraft going overboard. “The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the US Navy said in a statement at the time.

While the Navy was still coping with this preventable loss, another such incident occurred in May 2025. A two-seater F/A-18F Super Hornet belonging to the Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-11, also known as the Red Rippers, plunged into the sea.

At the time, preliminary reports suggested that the aircraft had crashed during an attempted nighttime landing on the aircraft carrier, as the aircraft’s hook could not catch the carrier’s arresting wire. 

“The arrestment failed, causing the aircraft to go overboard. Both aviators safely ejected and were rescued by a helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 11,” an unidentified defense official told USNI News. “The aviators were evaluated by medical personnel and assessed to have minor injuries. No flight deck personnel were injured.”

No pilots died during the three crashes. However, the fact that the US Navy lost about $180 million worth of fixed-wing aircraft in less than six months raised eyebrows, especially because all three losses reported were directly or indirectly linked to the US military campaign against the Yemen-based Houthis. The campaign failed to achieve its desired goals and was eventually called off.

In addition to these, an EA-18G Growler also crashed in February 2025 in San Diego Bay, near Naval Base Coronado, California, USA. The crash occurred during a routine training flight. Both pilots ejected and were rescued, with no serious injuries reported.

Operating aboard aircraft carriers like Truman, the Super Hornet is a multi-role fighter utilized for close air support, strike missions, and air superiority. Popularly remembered as the Top Gun aircraft, the Super Hornets are vital to the US Navy’s global operations, as demonstrated by the effort to increase their firepower.

Although the US Navy also uses the F-35C Lightning II, which has stealth and sophisticated sensors, the Super Hornet is still the mainstay of the force because of its adaptability, larger fleet, and operational reliability. Perhaps, this is why it signed a contract for 17 additional Block III Super Hornets for $1.3 billion in March 2024, with deliveries expected only by spring 2027.

The frequent losses of Super Hornets don’t augur well for the US Navy, as it is its primary carrier-based fighter jet. As of early 2024, the US Navy had approximately 420 active Super Hornets in service, four of which have now been lost.

Moreover, there is no direct, dedicated alternative to the EA-18G Growler in the US military’s inventory that matches its specific combination of carrier-based operations, advanced jamming capabilities, and SEAD/EA mission profile.

The US Navy’s F/A-XX, a sixth-generation carrier-based stealth jet, is expected to replace the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet in the US Navy in the mid-2030s.

However, with the program now off the priority list, it could be a while before the service finds a Super Hornet replacement.