Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien was involved in a helicopter dispute

The US$2.8bn (�1.31bn) purchase of 28 helicopters will "meet military needs for many years to come," said Defence Minister Bill Graham.

The S-92 was chosen over its larger and more expensive rival the EH-101 Cormorant, built by the British-Italian consortium led by EH Industries.

The Sea Kings which were bought in 1963 will continue service for four years.

Saga ends

The announcement ends decades of wrangling.

A contract for US$4.4bn worth of EH-101 helicopters was cancelled after former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien was elected in 1993.

It cost Canadian taxpayers $375m in penalties and sparked an argument that the Liberal government wanted to severely cut back on Canada's military.

Experts say these Sea Kings, also a Sikorsky product, are past their design life - requiring 30 hours of maintenance for every single hour in the air.

During service Canada's Sea Kings have had four fatal crashes which claimed 10 lives.