The Tunisian air force, which must urgently acquire new fighter planes, is negotiating the purchase of part of the F-18 Hornets that Kuwait will withdraw from service. Washington supports this transaction, which would save it from having to further extend its military aid to Tunisia.
The chief of the aviation staff Mohamed Hajjem could find in Kuwait the solution to his puzzle concerning the modernization of the Tunisian fighter. According to our information, the general is in very advanced discussions with his Kuwaiti counterpart Saif al-Husseini with a view to recovering part of the F-18 Hornet fighter-bombers from the small emirate of the Gulf. The Kuwait Air Force (KAF) intends to get rid of these aircraft acquired from the American McDonnell Douglas at the end of the 1980s and which it is in the process of replacing by a more recent version of the aircraft, the Super Hornet, and an order for Eurofighter Typhoon. The exact number of devices that could be transferred to Tunisia has not yet been determined.
The Kuwaiti F-18s would resolve this problem immediately, since the Gulf emirate would be ready to cede them at a symbolic price to Tunisia, of the order of a million dollars each. On the other hand, the cost per hour of flight (more than 10,000 dollars) and the maintenance costs will be significantly higher than all the other options studied so far.
The Pentagon plays the facilitator
The possible transfer of Kuwaiti aircraft to Tunisia is already supported by the administration of Joe Biden. According to our information, the Pentagon has given its prior agreement, which is essential for any re-export of American equipment. The planes could even benefit from modernization by an American contractor, financed by the United States through an FMS (Foreign Military Sales) contract. Tunisian pilots would, if necessary, be trained in the United States.