The French defense ministry expressed regret following Singapore's announcement late Tuesday that it was already in talks with Boeing to buy the F-15 Eagle instead of the Rafale, the pride of Dassault Aviation of France.

"It is a sovereign decision of the Singaporean state. France respects it. Even if we regret it, this decision will not detract from the quality of our bilateral relations," the ministry said in a statement.

It was an intense contest but the current weakness of the US dollar "seemed to have been a determining factor" in the F-15's favor, it added.

The Rafale and F-15 were shortlisted after the Eurofighter Typhoon was knocked out of the running for new fighters to replace a squadron of aging A4SU Super Skyhawks, upgrades of US-made aircraft first bought in the 1970s.

But all is not lost for France, which won a key contract to build six stealth frigates for the Singapore Navy in 2000. Press reports have valued that deal at about one billion dollars as well.

The first of the sleek Formidable class frigates, equipped with highly advanced missiles and electronics, was delivered to Singapore just two months ago by Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN).

After ruling out the Rafale fighter, Singapore is expected to order up to 20 F-15s for an estimated total of one billion dollars excluding armaments.

The wealthy city-state's choice of fighter was keenly awaited in the world arms industry because Singapore is regarded as a picky buyer whose rigorous selection process influences other countries' decisions.

Singapore also operates F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-5 Tigers, both US-made, as part of Southeast Asia's most modern military arsenal.

Bernard Loo, a military analyst at Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, said that by going for the F-15, Singapore has opted to keep an all-American main combat force.

"They are going for familiarity. The F-15 is a proven combat platform while the Rafale and (Eurofighter) Typhoon are not combat-proven in the way that the F-15 is," Loo told AFP.

He believed the clincher was the US promise of "supporting deals and agreements especially the advanced air missiles."

The Singapore statement came two weeks after the US Defense Department notified Congress of the possible sale to Singapore of advanced weapons, logistics and training as part of the proposed F-15 fighter sale.

They include supersonic air-to-air missiles and satellite-guided bombs for the F-15s. The package would be worth an additional 741 million dollars for US manufacturers if all options were exercised by Singapore.

Singapore's defence spending for the current financial year of 9.26 billion Singapore dollars (5.8 billion US) accounts for 31.2 percent of the national budget, one of the highest in Asia.

Robert Karniol, Asia-Pacific editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, said he was "a bit surprised" by the announcement, saying the Rafale would have had "longer legs" as the new-generation aircraft for Singapore.

"I don't see the F-15 twenty years from now being particularly effective in that environment," he said, adding that Singapore could still opt for another type of fighter in "phase two" of its long-term fighter acquisition program.

Part of Singapore's air force is stationed in friendly countries like the United States, France and Australia because it does not have enough air space for training.

France, which hosts a squadron of Singaporean Skyhawks at a training facility, had lobbied vigorously for the Rafale but Singapore is a close US ally and not even French President Jacques Chirac's personal intervention was able to swing the deal.

The Rafale is a multi-role combat aircraft, capable of performing a wide range of missions day or night in all-weather conditions. For its part Boeing pointed to the F-15's performance in actual combat as one of its advantages.

Asia has overtaken the Middle East as the largest arms market in the developing world, with India and China leading the weapons race, according to a recent report sent to the US Congress.

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