Textron confident can keep US helicopter affordable

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - Textron Inc's (TXT.N) Bell Helicopter unit, reacting to an Army statement that a $6.2 billion program could be canceled, said Wednesday it was confident it could build a planned armed reconnaissance helicopter affordably.

"We remain confident that that we can produce the ARH at an affordable price," Thomas Dolney, a Bell Textron spokesman, said in an email message. "Bell Helicopter and its team of suppliers are ready to begin low-rate initial production of the ARH, and we are dedicated to producing a world-class weapons system for the Army's warfighters."

The Army said Wednesday it notified Congress that the ARH program's projected costs had soared more than 40 percent above initial estimates, triggering a mandatory review that could lead to cancellation. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; editing by John Wallace/Jeffrey Benkoe)