US military investigating fire in MV-22 Osprey

WASHINGTON Nov 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is investigating an engine fire aboard a MV-22 tilt-rotor Osprey this week, but said on Friday it was too soon to discuss any possible impact on V-22s deployed in Iraq.

"We're not at this point drawing any conclusions one way or another. It hasn't therefore led to any fleetwide action," said U.S. Navy spokesman James Darcy.

The V-22 takes off and lands like a helicopter, but flies like an airplane. It is built by Boeing Co (BA.N) and Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc (TXT.N).

The Marine Corp said an MV-22 assigned to a training squadron at Marine Corps Air Station New River, near Jacksonville, North Carolina, had to land unexpectedly on Tuesday after a fire in the housing of its left engine.

The five-member crew activated on-board fire suppression systems, landed safely at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, and evacuated the aircraft. There were no injuries, but the fire caused significant damage to the engine, Darcy said.

The Osprey has had its share of technical problems. It was nearly canceled after two deadly accidents earlier this decade, but Navy and Marine Corps officials say its speed and range make it an important new asset.

Earlier this year, the Navy grounded its entire fleet of MV-22s to replace faulty pressure switches after being advised they posed a "serious risk" of a "catastrophic" crash."

Darcy said Tuesday's mishap involved a Block A aircraft, while the aircraft deployed in Iraq were a more advanced Block B version that included safety upgrades.

The Air Force recently began initial operational tests of its version of the V-22, the CV-22. Those tests are expected to be completed by April.

The Marine Corps has been tight-lipped about the performance of the 10 Ospreys that arrived in Iraq last month.

The Air Force announced last month that a CV-22 assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico had flown its first search and rescue mission after a medical aircraft crashed in the mountains of southern Colorado. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa, Editing by Alan Elsner)