Presidential helicopter to cost less than $13 bln

WASHINGTON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The next U.S. presidential helicopter program will cost less than the $13 billion program that was cancelled, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters on Friday.

"We are not going to pursue a program that costs more than the VH-71 program," Morrell said, referring to the scrapped Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) program.

Morrell said the Pentagon was still looking at options for a future program, adding, "We're hoping to have the new helicopters fielded by 2020."

(Reporting by Adam Entous and Phil Stewart; editing by Leslie Gevirtz)