Singapore buys 12 choppers from U.S.

Singapore buys 12 choppers from U.S.

SINGAPORE (AP): Singapore has signed an agreement to buy 12 Apache attack helicopters from the United States, officials in the wealthy Southeast Asian city-state said on Friday.

Pilots and crew from the Singapore Armed Forces will use the helicopters for training in the United States, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Singapore and the United States signed an agreement for the deal on Monday, the statement said.

Singapore's initial request for the helicopters and accompanying missiles, spare engines and other accessories was worth about US$617 million, according to an earlier news release from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency or DSCA.

Officials at the Singapore Defense Ministry and U.S. Embassy in Singapore said they could not immediately confirm the final value of the deal.

Singapore already has eight Apaches. The new order of 12 will be delivered starting from 2005, the Defense Ministry said. Apaches are designed for attacking tanks and other targets on the ground.

The two-seater craft, used heavily by the U.S. Army, is a veteran of the 1989 invasion of Panama, the 1991 Gulf War and peacekeeping missions in Bosnia.

The apache can carry missiles, rockets and a rapid-fire cannon.

The U.S. sale to Singapore "will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country," the DSCA news release said.

Singapore is "an important force for stability and economic progress in Southeast Asia," the news release said.

In a report published earlier this year, London-based military journal Jane's Defense Weekly said some observers believe Singapore's military is "the best force in the (Asian) region."

Singapore, an island nation with 4 million people, has no apparent enemies. But the government feels its strong military helps ensure its position as an oasis of peace and prosperity in an often turbulent region.