Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday directed the relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the crash of a US-made F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), which occurred on Thursday evening.

In a statement, Ibrahim said, "The cause of the incident must be determined and necessary safety measures taken," while also expressing his wishes for the speedy recovery of the pilot, Major Muhammad Azhar, and the Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), Captain Muhammad Izdhan, who both survived the incident.

For his part, RMAF Chief General Muhammad Norazlan said at a press conference that the incident occurred on the runway of Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport at the Kuantan Air Base on Malaysia's east coast during a routine night training exercise, adding that "pilots Azhar and Izdhan were able to eject using their emergency seats before the plane crashed."

Norazlan explained that the Air Force's Investigation Board has begun its work immediately to prepare a preliminary report within 14 days, which is the standard timeframe for such incidents. He simultaneously announced the suspension of all flight operations for aircraft of the same model until the investigation is concluded.

According to the Malaysian Defence and Security magazine, the Royal Malaysian Air Force operates a fleet of eight F/A-18D Hornet fighter jets, which Malaysia acquired from the United States in 1997. However, the recent Kuantan incident has reduced the operational number to just seven aircraft.

The magazine reported in its article that despite this fleet being over 28 years old, the fighter jets have undergone a series of avionics and combat systems upgrades, along with maintenance work, aimed at keeping them in service until the 2030s.