Crowdsourcing, DARPA's Red Balloons, Surveillance, False Flags, and MA Flight 370

"What Goes Up Must Come Down." ~Isaac Newton

http://en.es-static.us/upl/2010/03/b...nology_300.jpg

I noticed that this "missing airplane" phenomenon has brought to the fore an issue we've covered in the past.

http://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i...ap-revised.jpg

Some folks here might remember the DARPA Network Challenge (Red Balloons) from a few years back. This was an informal, "playful" attempt by our government and others, to encourage the public to "assist the government in locating and tracking designated objects", pretty much.

Well, according to CNN, people are doing this in an effort to locate the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which most of you already read has gone missing in the Gulf of Thailand, which is actually a pretty big place to be missing when you look at the map.

I am wondering, could it be that the governments in power are testing image-processing AI against the crowdsourcing technique, trying to see if humans can still beat the computers in terms of finding a specific thing?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ile_en.svg.png

Computers are beastly efficient, but unless they are a special type (quantum computer), they cannot select the "correct" answer from a non-numbered list -- quantum computers can do this "magical" feat, whereas all a traditional computer can do is analyze and compare averages (from what I understand of it), finding the correct answer by working for it and not "just knowing".

Well, some people "just know" or are "led" to make discoveries. We know this is true because of the example set by many famous individuals in human history, people who were visionaries and leaders, and had a dream to follow.

CNN reports that DigitalGlobe, an advanced Colorado firm that has some realllllly high-tech imaging satellites, is providing imagery for internet users like ourselves to "help locate Flight 370".

I guess what I am wondering is, are we being conditioned via this strange situation of the missing airplane (and this is not some Amelia Earhart sized plane but a REAL JET) to look for ANYTHING the government asks us to find?

http://static.jokes-db.com/img/funny...ical/idiot.jpg


Because once again, most of us know that there are many who find truth, but in most cases the government is working to cover that up... why, then, should we believe that this effort will yield any truth at all?

Even if the plane DOES get found this way, all it will accomplish (beyond saving a few lives) is POPULARIZING PERSISTENT SURVEILLANCE.

http://spie.org/Images/Graphics/News.../1112_fig1.jpg

I do hope those poor people are found and saved, but isn't it possibly too late?
What if their rafts didn't deploy, or they had a hydraulic failure like the flight that hit the ocean upside-down near Hawaii and killed everyone onboard instantly?


Sadly and sincerely,

Tesla :(


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...BalloonMap.jpg

http://historytech.files.wordpress.c...3.jpg?w=700&h=

Quote:

---

Crowdsourcing Campaign
DigitalGlobe has activated its crowdsourcing platform in an effort to locate the Boeing 777 jetliner that mysteriously disappeared on Saturday while in flight from Malaysia to Beijing.

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Luftballons

Quote:

---

While at a June 1982 concert by the Rolling Stones in West Berlin, Nena's guitarist Carlo Karges noticed that balloons were being released. As he watched them move toward the horizon, he noticed them shifting and changing shapes, where they looked like strange spacecraft (referred to in the German lyrics as a "UFO"). He thought about what might happen if they floated over the Berlin Wall to the Soviet sector.[2]

---

Quote:

---

‘Ten red balloons’ refers to a contest sponsored by the Pentagon, which challenged teams to be the first to find ten red balloons, randomly hidden all across the U.S. Crane’s MIT team was the first to find all ten – in under 9 hours – with public help in the search.

---

http://www.asia-pictures.net/thailan...20map%20LP.jpg

Tesla, that is an interesting map of the US. I recall seeing one just like that which was a naval map which closely resembled that one above, which also had similiar areas mapped as underwater. Edgar Cayce did some rendering of his version of that same map as well, which I recall he had received that image in his mind from the Akashic records. Eerie coincidence...

Quote:

---

Posted by linksplatinum

Tesla, that is an interesting map of the US. I recall seeing one just like that which was a naval map which closely resembled that one above, which also had similiar areas mapped as underwater. Edgar Cayce did some rendering of his version of that same map as well, which I recall he had received that image in his mind from the Akashic records. Eerie coincidence...

---

I agree. The Hunger Games map of "Panem" looks like the Naval predictions regarding what our coastlines might look like if there was a catastrophe that raises the sea level.
Or one that plunges the continent downward into the water.


Is this really a Navy projection or some disinfo?

http://rickmick.com/wp-content/uploa...Map-NAVYd1.jpg

"where did it come from?" GLP: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/fo...age2165377/pg1

Yup, that's the exact same map I saw...As a matter of fact I saw that map being peddled on Great global shift, Pattie Brassard's site, several weeks before that site closed up shop. But, I think that it may be safe to assume that with all the hoopla, failed predictions, and other proof of her being an "Internet Troll", that the map is most likely a disinfo campaign that was being thrown out at the public...

Quote:

---

Posted by linksplatinum

Yup, that's the exact same map I saw...As a matter of fact I saw that map being peddled on Great global shift, Pattie Brassard's site, several weeks before that site closed up shop. But, I think that it may be safe to assume that with all the hoopla, failed predictions, and other proof of her being an "Internet Troll", that the map is most likely a disinfo campaign that was being thrown out at the public...

---

Indeed! About the disinfo.

I wonder the same about the story re: the "Iranians with stolen passports" on the Malaysia Airlines flight :(

And how it "disappeared".

It's happened a few different times, planes breaking up over the ocean suddenly.
I can't remember what I read about it though.

:(

It's kind of horrible, if it wasn't Iranians' fault at all, for the airplane makers and airlines to go along with such a story...
it seems half-baked, at best.

@_@ almost like underwear bomber.

p.s. uhoh

http://www.indiandefencereview.com/n...nergy-weapons/

The Ray of Death: Directed-Energy WeaponsBy Gp Capt Joseph Noronha Issue Vol. 28.4 Oct-Dec 2013 | Date : 25 Dec , 2013

http://www.indiandefencereview.com/w...g_747-400F.jpg

Advanced Tactical Laser on Boeing 747-400F


Why do laser guns and other DEW devices seem so much more attractive than conventional projectile weapons such as guns and missiles? For one thing, DEWs can be precisely targeted. It is claimed of some airborne laser weapon systems, that while engaging a moving truck, the attacker may choose whether to simply burn the tyres and immobilise the vehicle, hit the engine and disable it or set the fuel tank alight and trigger an inferno. Similarly, while targeting a person, energy output can be controlled at will, high power to kill or low power to deliver an intensely unpleasant experience and serve as a stern warning: “Get lost, or else…!”

Ray guns have been the staple of science fiction for almost a century. Star Trek showed characters using handheld laser weapons or ‘phasers’. Star Wars had its ‘blasters’ that fired bursts of particle-beam energy called bolts. And various other books, movies and TV serials have featured disintegrator rays, plasma rifles, pulse rifles and many other outlandish devices, often handheld but also fitted on a variety of machines ranging from flashy motorcycles to alien spacecraft. Common to all these exotic weapons is directed energy, generally in the form of a laser beam, or other mysterious and powerful rays, capable of killing people and destroying objects. The incredible power source that enables such a device to be fired continually without recharging is rarely if ever mentioned.

Back in the real world, it is unlikely that armies of the foreseeable future will be able to completely replace their bullet-firing guns with ray guns. Yet research is on in a number of countries to develop practical weapons based on the principle of the ray gun. These Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) already use laser beams and other concentrated sources to exploit the human body’s natural response to pain and intense heat. While the United States is at the forefront of the technological race to develop laser weapons, it is not the only nation to venture down this path. Russia is known to be working on aerial military lasers and it is a safe bet that China and Israel are too. There are reports that India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) plans to develop high-powered laser weapons technology to shoot down missiles. However, the programme is still in its embryonic stage.

Why do laser guns and other DEW devices seem so much more attractive than conventional projectile weapons such as guns and missiles? For one thing, DEWs can be precisely targeted. It is claimed of some airborne laser weapon systems, that while engaging a moving truck, the attacker may choose whether to simply burn the tyres and immobilise the vehicle, hit the engine and disable it or set the fuel tank alight and trigger an inferno. Similarly, while targeting a person, energy output can be controlled at will, high power to kill or low power to deliver an intensely unpleasant experience and serve as a stern warning: “Get lost, or else…!”
Laser weapons are by far the most promising variety of DEW currently under investigation…

Since laser beams travel at the speed of light, evading an accurately aimed laser weapon is impossible. The range of a laser gun is much greater than that of a conventional weapon. And although practical range is subject to atmospheric conditions and power availability, even long-range laser ‘firing’ needs hardly any compensation and wind velocity has negligible effect. Lasers are also capable of great flexibility. For instance, their focus can be changed to select an effective area either much smaller or much larger than bullet or projectile-based weaponry. Since laser beams produce neither sound nor visible light, the user’s location would not be compromised. And if sufficient power were made available, for instance by refuelling the host platform, laser weapons would never run out of ‘ammunition’.

War in Space

Towards the end of the Cold War, the United States considered developing its own DEWs to defend against Soviet nuclear weapons and also to counter a perceived Soviet design to seize the ‘high ground’ by deploying lasers and jammers in space. In March 1983, US President Ronald Reagan proposed the ambitious Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) programme, later somewhat derisively nicknamed “Star Wars”, to use ground-based and space-based systems in order to protect the US from attack by Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The SDI also studied the possibility of deploying directed-energy devices, especially laser weapons, to destroy ICBMs in flight. Although the colossal programme was abandoned as being impractical and prohibitively expensive, it did set the stage for the development of some realistic DEW devices.

DEWs attempt to precisely aim energy at a target to achieve the desired effect, whether lethal or non-lethal, without using a projectile. The energy may be electro-magnetic radiation, sound or micro-particles (actually a form of micro-projectile weapon). DEWs can be classified by the frequency in which they operate such as Radio Frequency (RF) or laser, or by the principle on which they operate. So-called microwave weapons are a subset of RF DEWs. Particle-beam weapons are a type of DEW that use charged or neutral particles to destroy a target.

They are theoretically possible, but no practical examples are known to exist. Such devices would probably suffer from ‘blooming’, wherein energy that is intended to be focused on the target gets spreads out thus rendering the beam less effective. Plasma weapons fire a beam, bolt or stream of sub-atomic particles. Sonic and ultrasonic DEW weapons use a focused beam of sound or ultrasound to injure, incapacitate or even kill an opponent.

At present, the US military is streets ahead in the development of possible DEWs, especially laser weapons…

However, laser weapons are by far the most promising variety of DEW currently under investigation.

Fighting with Light

‘LASER’ stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A laser produces light in a non-conventional way by stimulating the release of photons or light particles from an active laser medium also called gain medium or lasing medium. Any laser device needs a source of atoms to get excited and emit light of a specific wavelength, an energy source, mirrors and lens to shape and focus the light into a narrow beam. Chemical lasers, the most common type nowadays, use energy from a suitable chemical reaction instead of electricity. A well-known example is the Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL), an infra-red laser. However, storing and using chemical fuel has its own problems. There are also issues with undesirable heating and overall inefficiency. However, if these can be overcome, the directed-energy beam that is produced can travel great distances and may be employed to obtain lethal results. More advanced solid-state lasers, which employ a solid gain medium, are also emerging from military laboratories.

While the use of laser weapons for on-the-ground engagements in war zones may be severely limited by line-of-sight issues, they are excellent for use against aerial and naval targets. To be considered militarily useful in a live setting, a laser weapon needs to generate at least a 100-Kilowatt beam. A 150-Kilowatt laser may be powerful enough to take out an airborne aircraft. However, unless the laser device generates at least one Megawatt of power it is probably useless against the main threat at sea – anti-ship missiles. And laser power may need to be ramped up another order of magnitude to neutralise ICBMs.

At present, the US military is streets ahead in the development of possible DEWs, especially laser weapons. For instance, the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL), also known as the Nautilus, was a 1996 joint US-Israeli project to investigate lasers for military use, especially to counter low-calibre rockets frequently launched against towns in northern Israel. It used deuterium-fluoride chemical laser technology and had a command centre, radar, target-tracking telescope, the laser itself, tanks to feed it plentiful fuel and a rotating mirror to aim the beam at distant targets. During tests, THEL reportedly destroyed 46 rockets, artillery and mortar rounds in flight albeit under controlled conditions. However, its prospects on a live battlefield, especially if salvos of Katyushas and other small rockets were fired towards it, were reckoned to be poor. THEL’s performance was severely degraded under cloudy conditions. Besides it was extremely bulky – the prototype was as big as six city buses – and cost a great deal to manufacture and use. The project was finally abandoned in 2005.

Now, there is the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS), a research programme of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This liquid-cooled laser is claimed to be ten times smaller and lighter tha
n current lasers of similar power. It is planned to be mounted on combat aircraft to shoot down incoming rockets or missiles. It would have additional capability for offensive missions, offering precise targeting and low probability of collateral damage.

___________________-
_____________________

http://drjudywood.com/articles/DEW/StarWarsBeam5.html

The Star Wars Beam Weapons
and
Star Wars Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW)
(A focus of the Star Wars Program)

by
Dr. Judy Wood and Dr. Morgan Reynolds
(originally posted: October 17, 2006)

Page 5: Toasted Cars

Quote:

---

At the time this article was being developed, many people expressed disbelief that energy weapons existed outside of science fiction until they were reminded of the Star Wars Program, also known as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)*. The name of this article was chosen as a reminder that energy weapons do exist and have been developed over 100 years. Most of this technology is classified information. It can also be assumed that such technology exists in multiple countries. The purpose of this article was to begin to identify the evidence of what happened on 9/11/01 that must be accounted for. In doing so, the evidence ruled out a Kinetic Energy Device (bombs, missiles, etc.) as the method of destruction as well as a gravity-driven "collapse."

*SDI was created by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983.1 It is thought that SDI may have been first dubbed "Star Wars" by opponent Dr. Carol Rosin, a consultant and former spokeswoman for Wernher von Braun. However, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) historians attribute the term to a Washington Post article published March 24, 1983, the day after the Star Wars speech, which quoted Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy describing the proposal as "reckless Star Wars schemes."2 Before it was named the "Star Wars Program (SDI) in 1983, it was the Advanced Space Programs Development.3
12/12/10 -- Dr. Judy Wood

1 Strategic Defense Initiative, Wikipedia,

2 Sharon Watkins Lang. SMDC/ASTRAT Historical Office. "Where Do We Get Star Wars?", The Eagle. March 2007.

3 Robert M. Bowman, former Director of Advanced Space Programs Development for the U.S. Air Force in the Ford and Carter administrations.

---

Quote:

---

Preliminary transcript:

Diane Sawyer: And I've got Don Dayo (?) in here with me, we're dividing up all the duties, here, and he's been down to the scene, and also J.D. Hopfer (?) who says he's just a volunteer who came in here from California and was around the area.

I just wanted to know how much fire is there. You said you were just at Ground Zero. How much fire is left?

J.D. Hopfer (?):
Well at Building Seven there was no fire there whatsoever, but there was one truck putting water on the building. But, it's collapsed completely. And then, the other building, that there were some flames still coming up was in World Trade Center One, not a lot.

Diane Sawyer: You said you saw melted tour busses? Melted cars?

J.D. Hopfer (?): The cars that were right down there, ...it was just unbelievable. They were twisted and melted into nothing. The build... the debris is just unbelievable. And then you can see fire trucks and police vehicles that were down there early, that um, all their windows, their windshields, are completely blown out -- from, ...it must have been from when debris dropped.

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directed-energy_weapon

A directed-energy weapon (DEW) emits energy in an aimed direction without the means of a projectile. It transfers energy to a target for a desired effect. Intended effects on humans may be non-lethal or lethal.

Aside from uses on people or as a potential missile defense, directed energy technology has also been shown to stop or disable moving cars, drones, jetskis and electronic devices such as mobile phones.[1][2]

The energy can come in various forms:

Electromagnetic radiation, including radio frequency, microwave, lasers and masers
Particles with mass, in particle-beam weapons (technically a form of micro-projectile weapon)

Sound, in sonic weapons

Quote:

---

Tesla[edit]
Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), a noted inventor, scientist and electrical engineer, developed early high frequency technologies. Tesla worked on plans for a directed-energy weapon from the early 1900s until his death. In 1937, Tesla composed a treatise entitled The Art of Projecting Concentrated Non-dispersive Energy through the Natural Media concerning charged particle beams.[32]

---

Quote:

---

German World War II experimental weapons[edit]
During the early 1940s Axis engineers developed a sonic cannon that could literally shake a person apart from the inside. A methane gas combustion chamber leading to two parabolic dishes pulse-detonated at roughly 44 Hz. This infrasound, magnified by the dish reflectors, caused vertigo and nausea at 200–400 metres (220–440 yd) by vibrating the middle ear bones and shaking the cochlear fluid within the inner ear. At distances of 50–200 metres (160–660 ft), the sound waves could act on organ tissues and fluids by repeatedly compressing and releasing compressive resistant organs such as the kidneys, spleen, and liver. (It had little detectable effect on malleable organs such as the heart, stomach and intestines.) Lung tissue was affected at only the closest ranges as atmospheric air is highly compensable and only the blood rich alveoli resist compression. In practice, the weapon system was highly vulnerable to enemy fire. Rifle, bazooka and mortar rounds easily deformed the parabolic reflectors, rendering the wave amplification ineffective.[33]

In the later phases of World War II, Nazi Germany increasingly put its hopes on research into technologically revolutionary secret weapons, the Wunderwaffen.

Among the directed-energy weapons the Nazis investigated were X-ray beam weapons developed under Heinz Schmellenmeier, Richard Gans and Fritz Houtermans. They built an electron accelerator called Rheotron (invented by Max Steenbeck at Siemens-Schuckert in the 1930s, these were later called Betatrons by the Americans) to generate hard X-ray synchrotron beams for the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM).

The intent was to pre-ionize ignition in Aircraft engines and hence serve as anti-aircraft DEW and bring planes down into the reach of the FLAK. The Rheotron was captured by the Americans in Burggrub on April 14, 1945.

Another approach was Ernst Schiebolds 'Röntgenkanone' developed from 1943 in Großostheim near Aschaffenburg. The Company Richert Seifert & Co from Hamburg delivered parts.[34]

The Third Reich further developed sonic weaponry, using parabolic reflectors to project sound waves of destructive force. Microwave weapons were investigated together with the Japanese.

---

Quote:

---

NATO defines anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) as "measures taken to defend a maritime force against attacks by airborne weapons launched from aircraft, ships, submarines and land-based sites."[2] In some armies the term All-Arms Air Defence (AAAD) is used for air defence by non-specialist troops. Other terms from the late 20th century include GBAD (Ground Based AD) with related terms SHORAD (Short Range AD) and MANPADS ("Man Portable AD Systems": typically shoulder launched missiles). Anti-aircraft missiles are variously called surface-to-air missile, abbreviated and pronounced "SAM" and Surface to Air Guided Weapon (SAGW).

---

Makes me wonder if any of THESE were in the Gulf of Thailand last week:

Quote:

---

The Type 45 destroyer, also known as the D or Daring-class, is a class of guided missile destroyers built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The class is primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare and is built around the PAAMS (Sea Viper) air-defence system utilizing the SAMPSON AESA and the S1850M long-range radars. The first three destroyers were assembled by BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions from partially prefabricated "blocks" built at different shipyards, the remaining three were built by BAE Systems Surface Ships. The first ship in the Daring class, HMS Daring, was launched on 1 February 2006 and commissioned on 23 July 2009.[12]

---

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...S_Daring-1.jpg

Quote:

---

The UK had sought to procure a new class air-defence destroyers in collaboration with seven other NATO nations under the NFR-90 project, the project later collapsed due to varying requirements of the different countries involved. The UK then joined France and Italy in the Horizon CNGF programme; however, differing national requirements, workshare arguments and delays led to the UK withdrawing on 26 April 1999 and starting its own national project.[17] On 23 November 1999 Marconi Electronic Systems or MES was confirmed as prime contractor for the Type 45 project.[18] Seven days later MES and British Aerospace merged to form BAE Systems, making the latter the prime contractor.

The Type 45 project has been criticised for rising costs and delays, with the ships costing £6.46 billion, an increase of £1.5 billion (29%) on the original budget.[19] The first ship entered service in 2010,[20] rather than 2007 as initially planned. In 2007, the Defence Select Committee expressed its disappointment that the MoD and BAE had failed to control rising costs.[21][22]

---

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/67...0/543/u5sx.png

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/80.../12/tesla3.png

AI likely helped determine that a scenario such as MH370 would serve as another trigger to further consolidate control over the masses.

Grrr I hate threads that only guests read LOL

it creeps me out :)

no offense to guests!
join Project Avalon!

UPDATE:

http://news.yahoo.com/report-chinese...214930324.html

Report: Chinese site may show plane debris images
Associated Press
1 hour ago

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Ya..._satellite.jpg

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Murky satellite images that a Chinese science and defense agency said may show debris from the missing Malaysian Airlines jetliner provided a fresh clue Thursday in the search for the plane, pointing searchers to a location nearer to the plane's original flight path south of Vietnam.

The revelation could provide searchers with a focus that has eluded them since the plane disappeared with 239 people aboard just hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday. Since then, the search has covered 35,800 square miles (92,600 square kilometers), first east and then west of Malaysia and even expanded toward India on Wednesday.

The Chinese sighting, if confirmed, would be closer to where the frantic hunt started.

The Xinhua report said the images from around 11 a.m. on Sunday appear to show "three suspected floating objects" of varying sizes in a 20-kilometer radius, the largest about 24-by-22 meters (79-by-72 feet).

The images originally were posted on the website of China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. That site reports coordinates of a location in the sea off the southern tip of Vietnam and east of Malaysia.

But since the satellite images were taken four days ago, it is far from certain that whatever they show would be in the same location now.

No other governments have confirmed the Xinhua report, which did not say when Chinese officials became aware of the images and associated them with the missing plane.

Two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese, and the Chinese government has put increasing pressure on Malaysian officials to solve the mystery of the plane's disappearance.

Malaysia's civil aviation chief, Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said Malaysia had not been officially informed by China about the images, which he said he was learning about from the news.

He said if Beijing informs them of the coordinates, Malaysia will dispatch vessels and planes immediately.

"If we get confirmation, we will send something," he told The Associated Press early Thursday.

Until then, he urged caution. "There have been lots of reports of suspected debris."

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the last message from the cockpit of the missing flight was routine. "All right, good night," was the signoff transmitted to air traffic controllers five days ago.

Then the Boeing 777 vanished as it cruised over the South China Sea toward Vietnam, and nothing has been seen or heard of the jetliner since.

Those final words were picked up by controllers and relayed in Beijing to anguished relatives of some of the people aboard Flight MH370.

The Chinese reports of the satellite images came after several days of confusing and conflicting statements from Malaysian officials.

Earlier Wednesday, the Malaysian military officially disclosed why it was searching on both sides of country: A review of military radar records showed what might have been the plane turning back and crossing westward into the Strait of Malacca.

That would conflict with the latest images on the Chinese website.

For now, authorities said the international search effort would stay focused on the South China Sea and the strait leading toward the Andaman Sea.

Chinese impatience has grown.

"There's too much information and confusion right now. It is very hard for us to decide whether a given piece of information is accurate," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing.

"We have nothing to hide," said Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. "There is only confusion if you want to see confusion."

Flight MH370 disappeared from civilian radar screens at 1:30 a.m. Saturday at an altitude of about 35,000 feet above the Gulf of Thailand between Malaysia and southern Vietnam. It sent no distress signals or any indication it was experiencing problems.

If all those on board are confirmed dead, it would be the deadliest commercial air accident in 10 years.

The amount of time needed to find aircraft that go down over the ocean can vary widely. Planes that crash into relatively shallow areas, like the waters off Vietnam, are far easier to locate and recover than those that plunge into undersea canyons or mountain ranges.

Much of the Gulf of Thailand is less than 300 feet (91 meters) deep.

The Malaysian government said it had asked India to join in the search near the Andaman Sea, suggesting the jetliner might have reached those waters after crossing into the Strait of Malacca, 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the flight's last-known coordinates.

http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/...nes_140312.jpg

The report says the satellite images from the morning of March 9 appear to show three suspected floating objects …
Malaysian officials met in Beijing with several hundred Chinese relatives of passengers to explain the search, and to relay the last transmission that Malaysian air traffic controllers received before the plane entered Vietnamese airspace, according to a participant in the meeting.
Aviation officials in Vietnam said they never heard from the plane.

Its sudden disappearance led to initial speculation of a catastrophic incident that caused it to disintegrate. Another possibility is that it continued to fly despite a failure of its electrical systems, which could have knocked out communications, including transponders that enable the plane to be identified by commercial radar.

Authorities have not ruled out any possible cause, including mechanical failure, pilot error, sabotage and terrorism, and they are waiting to find any wreckage or debris to determine what went wrong.

Two U.S. Federal Aviation Administration technical experts and a regional representative are in Kuala Lumpur as part of a National Transportation Safety Board team supporting the investigation. Experts in air traffic control and radar are providing technical help, the board said.

Hishammuddin described the multinational search as unprecedented. Some 43 ships and 39 aircraft from at least eight nations were scouring an area to the east and west of Peninsular Malaysia.

"It's not something that is easy. We are looking at so many vessels and aircraft, so many countries to coordinate, and a vast area for us to search," he told a news conference.

Confusion over whether the plane had been seen flying west prompted speculation that different arms of the government might have different opinions about its location, or even that authorities were holding back information.

Choi Tat Sang, a 74-year-old Malaysian, said his family is still holding out hope that the plane and all on board are safe. His 45-year-old daughter-in-law, Goh Sock Lay, was the chief flight attendant. Her 14-year-old daughter, an only child, has been crying every day since the plane's disappearance.

"We are heartbroken. We are continuing to pray for her safety and for everyone on the flight," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Gomez in Kuala Lumpur, Aritz Parra and Isolda Morillo in Beijing, Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, Joan Lowy in Washington, Cara Anna in New York and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.


video? http://news.yahoo.com/video/search-f...210104510.html

People are an often boring, highly predictable phenomenon to track.

A person is slightly more riveting, though.

But not by much.

wow, interesting thought. it feeds the distraction and diversion of energy to the smokescreens?

Quote:

---

Posted by sway

wow, interesting thought. it feeds the distraction and diversion of energy to the smokescreens?

---

Yeah, sort of like, it won't matter to TPTB if the jet/people are ever found.

What matters to them is getting the public engaged in the thrill of the hunt.

:( IMO

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Quote:

---

Posted by Brakeman

People are an often boring, highly predictable phenomenon to track.

A person is slightly more riveting, though.

But not by much.

---

Creepy creepers :)

or
We are all becoming increasingly fascinated, lulled into a meme stupor, watching in real time as the hidden hand weave their masterful tapestry of fear. This could be the first few steps of a dance that has us all witness the set piece for a very dramatic "terrorist" attack, one so vivid, so horrific, that we are all thrown back into a state of psychic paralysis, terrified again, of the boogeyman and begging our masters to make it all go away and keep us safe at any cost.

Is it a coincidence that this particular Boeing aircraft has a security vulnerability baked into it's design infrastructure that was enough of a concern that Boeing had to petition the FAA to even allow the 777 series to be used to fly passengers? Is it any coincidence that we hear all about the other design flaws of the 777, but nothing much about the design flaw that almost kept the 777 series from ever getting off the ground in the first place. And would any of us be surprised to learn that the inherent problem is the aircraft is designed in such a way that there is a total lack of (manual) control over-ride for the pilots in the event of a software malfunction (such as electronic attack), combined with computer processors that have been proven to be exploitable, and the third strike - two independent but connected electronic networks on board the plane- one for aircraft command and control (engine, ailerons, rudder, flaps, fuel pumps, landing gear, radios, landing lights, etc, and the other system?- the on board passenger services system- entertainment system, food services, galley, internal lighting, seat consoles, wifi network, AND outbound and inbound communications with entertainment source providers, and all the content the passengers access via network etc. The design of these two networks was flagged by the FAA during the design phase for commercial certification- as a clear security and safety risk. The FAA also noted the security risk was exponentially compounded by the ironic presence of a very sophisticated command and control function in the primary network to allow the aircraft to be flown by remote access (this is considered a safety feature to allow control of the aircraft in case of pilots becoming incapacitated, etc). But despite their own objections, the FAA ultimately certified the 777 without any modifications, but added an addendum to the airworthiness certificate, stating all the potential dangers as a disclosure to future purchasers of the aircraft.

It does make one wonder, just how did a commercial airliner get designed like this and not ONE engineer, software designer, systems engineer- not ONE, in the YEARS it takes to design and vet these systems- how is that not ONE person thought to suggest that maybe it was not a good idea to open the command and control systems of the aircraft to communication with the in flight entertainment and wifi system the passengers use. Even those of us who are not versed in computer protocols would likely find this a curious, even some would say - highly suspect circumstance.

Stating the obvious here to the av crew but vulnerabilities of this particular aircraft- couple with the circumstances of this event (as we know them so far- ) we are possibly looking at the evidence of a very sophisticated (as in state coordinated state sponsored) cyber hijacking. If the ptb wanted something to divert our attention from the worldwide banking crisis, the security state disclosures, the mounting furor over the CIA spying on congress, the wholesale plundering of our planetary resources, what better way to do it than with a vivid, extremely dramatic and awful "attack" where a "terrorrist" group hack into onboard command and control of an airliner and make it vanish in front of the entire world. We are all drawn into the hunt, (as the OP has laid out so clearly here). Riveted to our news feeds, twitter chirps and media outlets, we wait for the latest on the crisis to be announced. Imagine the hit on our global psyche, with so much attention and emotion connected with this event- if suddenly this airliner were to re-appear in flight- heading towards some incomprehensibly horrific fate, and all us watch, feeling utterly transfixed, and at the same time overwhelmed, helpless, as it is filmed (in high definition, and from various angles and distances of course) - documented by all the "trusted' major news outlets in the world, and perhaps even in a location that is iconic, instantly recognizable and the last place one would think would be attacked in such an awful way.

It is not my intention to foment or amplify fear driven events, but rather I intend this as information for us to consider using to triangulate an access point for our crew here (whomever might be willing and able to dial in on (hack into :) the potential event timeline I have suggested, have a look around, and if it feels appropriate, consider the option to place higher vibrational based timelines along the spine of the beast- or however 'right action' might present itself to you in the moment.

We have done it so many times, it is entirely within our capacities, of course :)

I kind of hate to say Anonymous etc? but it sounds like this plane got HACKED:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/opinio...html?hpt=hp_t1

Pilot: Whoever changed flight path was an expert
By Robert Goyer
updated 11:53 AM EDT, Sat March 15, 2014

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpg

Editor's note: Robert Goyer is the editor-in-chief of Flying magazine and a commercial jet rated pilot.

(CNN) -- Investigators now say that, according to automated electronic connections attempts by the ACARS data reporting system of Malaysia Flight 370, the airplane flew far to the west, in an entirely different direction than it should have been heading as per its original flight-planned route, which was to the north.

The 90-degree turn to the west might have been purely random if entered by a nonpilot or inexpert pilot who knew simply how to turn a single knob (called the heading bug) that could command the autopilot to make a turn to a new heading (or direction).

There is strong evidence that this is not what happened.

Investigators now believe, according to news reports, that after its transponder and ACARS radio were turned off, turns were initiated at GPS waypoints. These waypoints are essentially virtual checkpoints in the sky, defining markers charted by airspace regulators that create pathways in the air that airplanes follow to keep safely separated from each other. The waypoints are defined by an exact latitude and longitude and can be located by a number of the airplane's various navigators, including GPS. If the reports of the flight path are true, it is not a route that could happen by accident.

There are two ways the 777-200 could have flown on this path. After passing one waypoint, it could have been directed to fly to the next waypoint by a pilot turning the heading knob toward that exact place, a process that would require some piloting expertise. This would be very unusual, and a novice or pilot without much flying experience on this plane would not know to make these kinds of inputs or have any conceivable reason to do so.

The almost certain explanation would be that these waypoints were programmed into the flight management system of the 777-200, a task that would have been beyond the abilities of anyone but a professional pilot. The autopilot follows the course put into the flight management system by the pilots. That is, when the autopilot is not being manually controlled instead. The manual control part is easy. You turn a knob and the airplane goes where you ask it to. The flight management system part is very complicated. I am a commercial pilot, and I have done some training on the Boeing 777. Even after a few hours of professional instruction I would have been unable to program the flight management system to command the autopilot to fly the flight plan that Flight 370 reportedly flew.

This leaves us with one of two possible conclusions. Either the flight was commandeered by a group with at least one professionally trained pilot among them or one of the pilots in control programmed the new off-route flight plan into the flight management system.

The latter would be far more likely. When terrorists hijacked the airplanes that were flown into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, they flew the airplanes by hand and those hijackers had trained for months with that exact mission in mind. In the case of Flight 370, it would almost certainly have remained on autopilot, which would have dutifully followed the flight plan in the flight management system.

That flight plan was quite possibly entered for some mysterious reason by a trained pilot.

Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Boeing 777 security holes:

http://www.wtop.com/807/3581458/777-...gest-foul-play

Was Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 hacked?

5Friday - 3/14/2014, 1:53pm ET

http://www.wtop.com/emedia/wtop/33/3...r=wtop_article

WASHINGTON -- Evidence is surfacing that system failure in the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 may have caused the plane's disappearance and investigators are wondering if foul play may have been involved.

Reports that two key communication and location systems on the Boeing 777 reportedly shutdown sequentially, while the plane continued to fly for hours, has granted credence to the possibility the plane's systems could have been physically sabotaged or electronically compromised.

WTOP has learned that Boeing had been concerned about the possibility the plane's systems could be hacked and had previously contacted the Federal Aviation Administration.

On August 21, 2012, Boeing applied for permission to change the equipment to be installed as part of an onboard data network system upgrade on the 777 series of planes.

According to information listed in the Federal Register the existing "data network and design integration may result in security vulnerabilities from intentional or unintentional corruption of data and systems critical to the safety and maintenance of the airplane."

The bottom line, according to language in the Federal Register, "The integrated network configurations in the Boeing Model 777-200, -300, and -300ER series airplanes may enable increased connectivity with external network sources and will have more interconnected networks and systems, such as passenger entertainment and information services than previous airplane models. This may enable the exploitation of network security vulnerabilities and increased risks potentially resulting in unsafe conditions for the airplanes and occupants."

Boeing appeared to worry that USB connection points on the seatbacks in some of the 777 airplanes could be vulnerable, considering the interconnectivity.

There was also concern that unauthorized access to the plane in the maintenance stage could cause damage.

In November 2013, special conditions were approved allowing Boeing to make changes on the 777 planes.

The plausibility of hacking into an airplane while in flight was presented as a reality in April 2013, by Spanish researcher Hugo Teso at a presentation during at the Hack-In-The-Box security summit in Amsterdam.

Teso ostensibly proved that using an Android smartphone and specific code, he could take control of aircraft flight and communication.

He claimed he could use his "attack code" called SIMON and an Android application called PlaneSploit to take full control of not only the systems on board the plane, but the pilot's display.

The FAA quickly responded saying it was not possible to fully take control of an aircraft, as had been alleged.

At the time, Teso outlined what he called vulnerabilities in the Automated Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) systems, saying of the aviation industry in general, they are not ready to face this kind of attack.

ADB-S and ACAR are among systems on the plane that authorities have acknowledged were possibly compromised in some way.

As investigators have worked their way through the broad range of theories regarding what happened to Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian authorities are looking closely at sabotage as a possible cause.

Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on the WTOP Facebook page.

© 2014 WTOP. All Rights Reserved.

Tags: jj green, malaysia airlines, missing plane

¤=[Post Update]=¤

BOEING KNEW THIS COULD HAPPEN:

http://patdollard.com/2014/03/boeing...keover-of-777/

BOEING Warned In Nov 2013 Of Computer Takeover Of 777
Home » Technology » BOEING Warned In Nov 2013 Of Computer Takeover Of 777

Mar 11, 2014 10 Comments Infidel Alie
Excerpted from Federal Register:
Read Full Report
Special Conditions: Boeing Model 777-200, -300, and -300ER Series Airplanes; Aircraft Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized Internal Access

The integrated network configurations in the Boeing Model 777-200, -300, and -300ER series airplanes may enable increased connectivity with external network sources and will have more interconnected networks and systems, such as passenger entertainment and information services than previous airplane models.

This may enable the exploitation of network security vulnerabilities and increased risks potentially resulting in unsafe conditions for the airplanes and occupants. This potential exploitation of security vulnerabilities may result in intentional or unintentional destruction, disruption, degradation, or exploitation of data and systems critical to the safety and maintenance of the airplane.

The existing regulations and guidance material did not anticipate these types of system architectures. Furthermore, 14 CFR regulations and current system safety assessment policy and techniques do not address potential security vulnerabilities which could be exploited by unauthorized access to airplane networks and servers.

Therefore, these special conditions are being issued to ensure that the security (i.e., confidentiality, integrity, and availability) of airplane systems is not compromised by unauthorized wired or wireless electronic connections between the airplane information services domain, aircraft control domain, and the passenger entertainment services.
For the reasons discussed above, these special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

Read more at http://patdollard.com/2014/03/boeing...XCzDPiltHdr.99

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Look:

THE BOEING BANKRUPTCY ON THE HORIZON?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_Import_Bank

The Bank has come under criticism for allegedly favoring special interests ahead of that of the U.S. taxpayer. These interests include that of heavily subsidized corporations such as Boeing or Enron as well as those of well-connected foreign governments and nationals (such as a 1996 $120 million low-interest loan to the China National Nuclear Power Corporation (CNNP)).[40] 65% of loan guarantees over 2007 and 2008 went to companies purchasing Boeing aircraft.[41] In 2012, the Bank's loan guarantees became even more skewed, with 82 percent of them going to Boeing customers.[42]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Weapon_System

The Laser Weapon System or LaWS is a directed-energy weapon developed by the United States Navy. The weapon is to be installed on the USS Ponce for field testing in 2014.[1][2][3]

In 2010, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions was awarded an 11-million-dollar contract to develop LaWS in support of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) for the U.S. Navy’s Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems (DE&EWS) program.[4] The May 2012 NSWC test used a CIWS control system to enable the beam director to track the UAV target.[5]

The intended use of the LaWS is ship-defense against drones or small-boat attackers (whether suicidal or not); the LaWS at present is not designed to engage incoming missiles, large aircraft, ships, or submerged objects. LaWS utilizes a solid-state infrared beam which can be tuned to high output to destroy the target or low output to warn or cripple the sensors of a target. Among the advantages of this device versus projectile weapons is the low cost per shot, as each firing of the weapon requires only the minimal cost of generating the energetic pulse; by contrast, projectile weapons must be designed, handled, and transported, take up storage space, and require maintenance.

The LaWS will be installed on the USS Ponce in summer 2014 for a 12-month trial deployment. The Navy spent about $40 million over the past six years on research, development, and testing of the laser weapon. It will be directed to targets by the Phalanx CIWS radar. If tests go well, the Navy could deploy a laser weapon operationally between 2017 and 2021 with an effective range of 1 mi (1.6 km; 0.87 nmi). The exact level of power the LaWS will use is unknown but estimated between 15-50 kW for engaging small aircraft and high-speed boats. Directed-energy weapons are being pursued for economic reasons, as they can be fired for as little as one dollar per shot, while conventional gun rounds and missiles can cost thousands of dollars each. The Navy has a history of testing energy weapons, including megawatt chemical lasers in the 1980s. Their chemicals were found to be too hazardous for shipboard use, so they turned to less powerful fiber solid-state lasers. Other types can include slab solid state and free electron lasers.[6]


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...pon_System.jpg

UM... YES WE CAN?


https://youtube.com/watch?v=OmoldX1wKYQ

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=OmoldX1wKYQ

Laser Weapon System (LaWS)
U.S. Navy U.S. Navy ·4,189 videos

Quote:

---

Published on Apr 8, 2013

120804-N-ZZ999-001 SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Jul. 30, 2012) The Laser Weapon System (LaWS) temporarily installed aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) (shown here conducting an operational test) in San Diego, Calif., is a technology demonstrator built by the Naval Sea Systems Command from commercial fiber solid state lasers, utilizing combination methods developed at the Naval Research Laboratory. LaWS can be directed onto targets from the radar track obtained from a MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon system or other targeting source. The Office of Naval Research's Solid State Laser (SSL) portfolio includes LaWS development and upgrades providing a quick reaction capability for the fleet with an affordable SSL weapon prototype. This capability provides Navy ships a method for Sailors to easily defeat small boat threats and aerial targets without using bullets. (U.S. Navy video by Office of Naval Research/ Released)

---

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/15/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1

Key moments emerge in tracking of missing Malaysia Airlines plane
By Michael Martinez, CNN
updated 9:18 PM EDT, Mon March 17, 2014

(CNN) -- New details provide a clearer chronology about what may have happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 between its takeoff and its last known spotting seven hours later.

Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said on Monday that it wasn't clear whether the final words from the cockpit came before or after the plane's data-reporting system was shut down.

Earlier, Malaysian authorities had said the message "All right, good night" came after the system had been disabled.

Here's how experts reconstructed key moments of the flight, according to CNN aviation and airline correspondent Richard Quest. The flight disappeared more than a week ago with 239 people aboard.

Takeoff: 12:41 a.m.

All tracking systems are working as the Boeing 777-200ER takes off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, headed to Beijing, on Saturday, March 8.

Timeline: Takeoff to satellite contacts Who were the men who flew flight 370 Quest: Problem began before final message

Photos: The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Photos: The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

ACARS sends communication: 1:07 a.m.

About a half-hour after takeoff, one of the plane's communication systems sends what turns out to be its last communication, according to the CEO of Malaysia Airlines.
The Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System is the onboard computer that collects information -- a lot of it -- about the plane's and the pilot's performance. It's akin to computers now in automobiles that track oil levels and engine performance.

Aboard aircraft, ACARS computers measure thousands of data and send the information via satellite to the airline, the engine manufacturer and other authorized parties, Quest said.

See interactive map

The information is useful for operations, maintenance, scheduling and performance purposes, Quest said.

"Your boss will know how you've flown the plane because ACARS will have told them," Quest said.


Voice check-in: 1:19 a.m.

Someone in the plane's cockpit makes a voice check-in with air-traffic controllers as the airliner was apparently leaving Malaysian airspace and entering Vietnamese airspace. Initial investigations indicate it was the co-pilot, Fariq Ab Hamid, according to Malaysia Airlines officials.

"All right, good night" were the final words from the cockpit, said Zulazri Mohd Ahnuar, a Malaysian civil aviation officer.

The phrase "good night" is the radio parlance used by pilots when executing a handover from one airspace to another, Quest said.

"That is normal. That happens a gazillion times," Quest said. " 'All right, good night' is a pleasantry at the end of radio communication."

It remains unclear, however, whether Vietnamese air traffic controllers had any contact with the plane during the handoff, Quest said.

Transponder off: 1:21 a.m.

A transponder sends electronic messages from the airplane: "squawks" to radar systems about the plane's flight number, altitude, speed and heading.

This is enormously useful information to air-traffic controllers who are looking at scores of blips on their screen, and each blip is a plane emitting identifying information, thanks to the transponder.

The transponder, apparently switched off, stropped responding at 1:21 a.m., said Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation.

"Now the plane is flying blind from the ground's point of view," Quest said. "If there is radar there, the radar will see a blip, but they won't know who it is, where they are going. They will just now know it's there."

That's because the transponder isn't sending identifying information about the plane. Shutting off the transponder is a simple turn of a switch in the cockpit, Quest said.

"The air-traffic controller should notice. I suppose it would cause alarm. ... (The information from) a plane that you're monitoring all of a sudden disappears," Quest said.
Civilian radar loses contact with plane: about 1:30 a.m.

Air traffic controllers in Subang, outside Kuala Lumpur, say they lost contact with the plane over the Gulf of Thailand between Malaysia and Vietnam at coordinates 06 55 15 N and 103 34 43 E.

Expected ACARS transmission doesn't happen: 1:37 a.m.

The ACARS was supposed to transmit a half-hour after it last did so. Therefore, it was supposed to transmit at 1:37 a.m. -- but it didn't, Yahya said,
So, the ACARS was shut down sometime between 1:07 and 1:37 a.m.

It's a significant event: Turning off ACARS takes know-how, Quest said.

If the flight were hijacked or a target of terrorism, cutting off ACARS would be a strategic move because the system reports to satellites anything being done to the aircraft, Quest said.

Military radar detection: 2:15 a.m.

Though the Malaysian plane is not transmitting information -- by ACARS or transponder -- radar on the ground or elsewhere can still detect a plane in the air.

According to a Malaysian Air Force official, military radar tracked the plane as it passed over the small island of Pulau Perak in the Strait of Malacca.

At this point, the plane was now hundreds of miles off-course. In fact, it was on the other side of the Malaysian Peninsula.

Military radar showed that the jetliner flew in a westerly direction back over the Malaysian peninsula, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Raza said. It is then believed to have either turned northwest toward the Bay of Bengal or southwest elsewhere into the Indian Ocean.

This was the last time any civilian or military radar tracked the aircraft.

The focus now is searching for the missing flight in the southern Indian Ocean, according to a U.S. official.

"The southern scenario seems more plausible," the official said.

The Malaysian military is now handing over its raw radar data to U.S. and UK officials, apparently setting aside concerns about any sensitive military intelligence.

Quest called this sharing of information a "huge" development in the case.

"They don't want anyone to know how good their radar is. They obviously decided that doesn't matter," he said.

"We don't know much about the Malaysian military, and that has been one of the issues," Quest added. "It appears that Malaysia was providing an interpretation of the analysis -- and not the raw data. Now they are handing over the raw data."

Satellite 'handshakes': 8:11 a.m.

Prime Minister Najib revealed Saturday that a satellite tracked the plane at 8:11 a.m., more than seven hours after takeoff.

Najib didn't provide details on the satellite tracking, but it appears that orbiters high above the ocean detected the plane as the satellite or satellites attempted a series of "handshakes" -- or electronic connections -- with the plane below, Quest said.

It's likely that the plane didn't complete the handshake because its communication systems were disabled, Quest said. It's also possible that the airline doesn't subscribe to that part of the satellite system, he said.

Nevertheless, the satellites would have been able to trace a plane flying below them and would have extended an electronic message equivalent to a hailing: "There's a plane: Hello, hello, hello? Do you have anything for us?" Quest said.

The Prime Minister said the "raw satellite data" confirm that the plane was Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, along with the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, concur, Najib said.

"Due to the type of satellite data, we are unable to confirm the precise location of the plane when it last made contact with the satellite," Najib said.

Authorities believe the plane was in one of two flight "corridors": a northern route stretching to northern Thailand, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and a southern route toward Indonesia and the southern Indian Ocean.

More than a week after its takeoff, however, the whereabouts of the plane remain a mystery.