Singapore to decide soon on $1-billion deal for military helicopters

[WorldNews]

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By Marius Zaharia SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore will decide "soon" on an estimated $1-billion purchase of new military helicopters which it had delayed after the crash of a civilian aircraft made by one of the bidders, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Thursday. The tiny city-state has the largest defense budget in Southeast Asia at a time when China's increasingly assertive actions in the disputed South China Sea waterway spur regional nations to step up defense spending. Singapore put on ice its plans to replace 32 ageing Super Pumas after the April 29 crash of a civilian Airbus Super Puma, whose military version had been the frontrunner to clinch the helicopter order.

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