YemenOnline- Yemen has signed a deal to buy $1 billion worth of weapons from Russia, including fighter planes, helicopters and tanks, Yemeni state media reported.

Agreements signed during a visit to Moscow by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh included the purchase of MiG-29 planes, helicopters, T-80 and T-72 tanks, and armored vehicles, the state news agency Saba quoted unnamed sources as saying.

"The most important result of President Saleh's successful visit to Moscow is the signing of a Russian military equipment deal, including land, sea and air military equipment in order to enhance the defence capability of Yemen in the fight against terrorism and piracy," the agency said late on Thursday.

 Russian warships have been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since the end of last year as part of international efforts to protect the shipping waterway off Somalia's coast from attacks by pirates.

Russian military experts and senior officials have also speculated that Yemen could be one of several regional states to host Russian bases in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.