Textron sees commercial helicopter backlog on rise

BOSTON, March 4 (Reuters) - Diversified U.S. manufacturer Textron Inc (TXT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it expects its backlog of commercial helicopter orders to rise by $1.4 billion following the first flight of a new model and recent trade shows.

The company, also the world's largest maker of corporate jets, said backlog at its Bell helicopter unit stood at $1 billion at the start of the year. It expects that number to increase by $400 million once it receives deposits for orders from recent trade shows in Singapore and Houston, and by another $1 billion when its lightweight 429 model completes its first flight later this year.

Textron expects revenue at Bell to rise about 20 percent this year to $4.7 billion, which would make it the fastest-growing of the company's four units.

Textron's rivals in the helicopter industry include Sikorsky, a unit of United Technologies Corp (UTX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Eurocopter, a unit of European aerospace group EADS (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and Italy's AgustaWestland, a unit of Italian defense company Finmeccanica SpA (SIFI.MI: Quote, Profile, Research). (Reporting by Scott Malone, editing by Dave Zimmerman)