Pentagon cancels $6B helicopter program

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The Pentagon has canceled the U.S. Army's $6 billion reconnaissance helicopter program because it was over budget and behind schedule, officials said Friday.

Instead of new ARH-70 helicopters, the Army will buy replacements for OH-58 Kiowa Warrior aircraft the ARH-70s were slated to replace, Defense officials said.

As a result, the Pentagon is scrubbing the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program, officials said.

Both the ARH-70 and the OH-58 Kiowa are built by Bell Helicopter, whose parent Textron Inc. is known for also making Cessna Aircraft. Neither Bell nor Textron had an immediate comment on the Pentagon's decision.

The four-bladed, single-engine ARH-70 was touted as being built with off-the-shelf technology, with the airframe based on Bell's commercially successful Bell 407 civil utility helicopter. But Bell discontinued an existing production line in Canada and moved the ARH-70's production to Texas, The Hill newspaper reported.

The cost for 42 ARH-70 choppers more than doubled to $942 million, or $14.5 million per helicopter, from an initially estimated $359 million.

In addition, delivery slipped to 2013 from 2009, The Hill said.