U.S plane manufacturer Boeing (BA.N), in talks with Malaysia for the sale of 18 F/A-18 fighter jets, is pinning its hopes on an order to give a boost to the struggling product, executives of the planemaker said on Wednesday. The F/A-18 model, French firm Dassault’s (AVMD.PA) Rafale, Swedish manufacturer Saab’s (SAABb.ST) Gripen, and European consortium Eurofighter’s Typhoon are all being assessed by the Southeast Asian nation to replace it aging fleet of Russian MiG-29 fighters jets.