Islamabad: The United States will give six C-130 military cargo planes to Pakistan as part of defence assistance committed under the $ three-billion aid granted by US President George W Bush during his Camp David meeting with President Pervez Musharraf.

The new planes, to be manufactured by US aircraft firm Lockheed Martin, will be handed over to Pakistan in two years, deputy chief of US Mission in Pakistan, William T Manoroe, told the media on August 18.

An agreement to this effect, which was signed by US Ambassador Nancy Powell and a senior Finance Ministry official of Pakistan, also provides for complete upgradation of cockpit avionics for the current Pakistan Air Force C-130 fleet, the US Embassy in Islamabad said in a statement on August 19.

The assistance was part of the $ three billion aid promised by Bush to Musharraf during their Camp David summit in June. Half of the money will be used for clearing Pakistan's debt to US and the rest will be spent for assistance in the fields of defence and social development.

"The purchase not only improves the defence capability of Pakistan, it also enhances its ability to conduct humanitarian relief missions throughout the region," the statement said.

The US also signed an agreement yesterday to provide a five-year grant of $ 115.7 million to Pakistan to improve its health services.

The US had recently rejected Pakistan's request to provide it F-16 planes after which the Pakistan Air Force approached Belgium to buy two squadrons of used F-16 planes.

PTI