Viking Air of Victoria, British Columbia, said it has finalised with the Vietnamese navy a purchase agreement for six amphibious DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft, in a statement obtained by AFP on Wednesday.

It said the deal would give the navy its first fleet of fixed-wing aircraft, some of which are designed specifically for marine patrol.

Each aircraft is priced at more than five million Canadian dollars (around five million US) but a Viking spokeswoman told AFP the total value of the deal, which includes flight training and other components, was yet to be determined.

The planes are scheduled for delivery from 2012 to 2014.

Vietnam late last month approved an 8.5-billion-dollar economic and defence development plan for a string of islands along its resource-rich coastline, as a broader maritime sovereignty dispute simmers with China.

In December Vietnam and Russia - a longtime supplier of military equipment to Hanoi - signed a major arms deal reported to involve the purchase of six submarines.

Analysts said the deal aims to bolster claims against China over potentially resource-rich islands in the South China Sea.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung confirmed only that the Russian deal included submarines along with aircraft and "military equipment".

Russian media have reported that the aircraft order involved 12 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 warplanes. They are among the world's most advanced and could provide air cover for the surface fleet, analysts said.

Canada's de Havilland aircraft company began producing Twin Otters in the 1960s. They gained favour with commuter airlines but had their roots in de Havilland's legendary Beaver bush planes.

Agence France Presse - May 12, 2010