The Australian government has dedicated $89.9 million in the 2014 budget to continue the search for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Th...
The Australian government has dedicated $89.9 million in the 2014 budget to continue the search for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean.
The money follows government fears the mammoth search effort could continue for another two years, with the current exhaustive operation failing to uncover any sign of the doomed plane.
The government also announced that $27.9 million would be given to the Defence Department to pay for its activities up to June 30 2014 in searching for the lost aircraft.
Another $2 million will be spent on the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, which was established on March 30 to oversee the hunt.
'The government will provide up to $89.9 million over two years from 2013-14 as part of Australia's commitment to the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370,' budget papers stated.
'Further funding of up to $60 million over two years from 2013-14 will be provided to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for Australia's contribution to the next phase of the search.'
The announcement follows news MH370 searchers have said electronic 'pings' initially thought to have come from missing Malaysian Airlines flight may not have emanated from the plane at all.
A senior Australian naval officer said he 'increasingly suspects' some of the signals detected last month didn't come from the jetliner's black-box flight recorders, piling further doubts over the search effort.
Australian naval Commander James Lybrand said of four 'pings' picked up by the U.S. Navy's Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, two were too weak to have been from a man-made device.
Sonar 'pings': U.S. Navy's Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, that picked up the signals last month, is lowered into the Indian Ocean once more
MH370 search heads to area where longest ping detected. While both are significantly lower than the 37.5kHz frequency black box beacons are designed to emit, the April 5 signals are still possible, down perhaps to weakening batteries or the 'vagaries of deep-sea conditions'.
Cmdr Lybrand, captain of the Ocean Shield vessel, said: 'As far as frequency goes, between 33 kHz and 27 kHz is a pretty large jump.'
He did say the authorities still believe that the two April 5 signals, one of which was held for 2 hours and 20 minutes - are consistent with black-box locator beacons.
Cmdr Lybrand did not give any clues as to what may have emitted the April 8 'pings' if they did not indeed come from MH370.
Dolphins can produce echolocation signals of anywhere between 0.2kHz and 150kHz to obtain sonic information about their environment.
Experts say dolphins' lower frequency vocalizations (between about 0.2 and 50kHz) are likely used in social communication while higher frequency clicks (40 to 150 kHz) are primarily used for spacial awareness.
Days after the signals were detected, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was 'very confident' they were from the black box on MH370.
AUSTRALIA'S SEARCH FOR MISSING MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT MH370
Australia, through the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, coordinated a search effort for MH370 in the southern corridor joining 25 other countries
AMSA coordinated the dispatch of 25 aircraft and 18 ships to scour a 230,000 sq mile (600,000 sq km) area of ocean with the seemingly-impossible task of locating the 24m-long debris
The search included up to 10 ships and 15 aircraft each day during the full-scale operation
The Bluefin-21 submarine conducted more than 17 missions underwater 334 search flights conducted and a total of 3,137 man hours been spent in the air
'We have very much narrowed down the search area...and we are very confident the signals are from the black box from MH370,' he said.
'We have a series of detections, some lasting for quite a long period of time.
'We're now getting to the stage from where the black box is starting to fade. We're hoping to get as much information as we can before the signal finally expires.
'I really don't want to give any more information than that at this stage...as a sign of respect to the Chinese people and their families.'
The money follows government fears the mammoth search effort could continue for another two years, with the current exhaustive operation failing to uncover any sign of the doomed plane.
The government also announced that $27.9 million would be given to the Defence Department to pay for its activities up to June 30 2014 in searching for the lost aircraft.
Another $2 million will be spent on the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, which was established on March 30 to oversee the hunt.
 |
| Australian federal budget announced: Treasurer Joe Hockey included funding for the hunt of missing Malaysian Airline Flight MH370 on Tuesday |
'Further funding of up to $60 million over two years from 2013-14 will be provided to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for Australia's contribution to the next phase of the search.'
The announcement follows news MH370 searchers have said electronic 'pings' initially thought to have come from missing Malaysian Airlines flight may not have emanated from the plane at all.
A senior Australian naval officer said he 'increasingly suspects' some of the signals detected last month didn't come from the jetliner's black-box flight recorders, piling further doubts over the search effort.
Australian naval Commander James Lybrand said of four 'pings' picked up by the U.S. Navy's Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, two were too weak to have been from a man-made device.
Sonar 'pings': U.S. Navy's Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, that picked up the signals last month, is lowered into the Indian Ocean once more
 |
| Too weak: A total of four signals, two on Saturday April 5 and two on Tuesday April 8, were detected by the Australian ship Ocean Shield in the search for flight MH370. But two of them now appear to have been too weak to have been from a man-made devic |
 |
| Search teams picked up two signals on April 5 at a frequency of 33.5kHz before two more were received three days later at 27kHz. |
Cmdr Lybrand, captain of the Ocean Shield vessel, said: 'As far as frequency goes, between 33 kHz and 27 kHz is a pretty large jump.'
He did say the authorities still believe that the two April 5 signals, one of which was held for 2 hours and 20 minutes - are consistent with black-box locator beacons.
 |
| Fresh doubts: Australian naval Commander James Lybrand said while both readings are significantly lower than the 37.5kHz frequency black box beacons are designed to emit, the April 5 signals are still possible, down perhaps to weakening batteries or the 'vagaries of deep-sea conditions' |
 |
| So what was it? Dolphins can produce echolocation signals of anywhere between 0.2kHz and 150kHz to obtain sonic information about their environment |
Dolphins can produce echolocation signals of anywhere between 0.2kHz and 150kHz to obtain sonic information about their environment.
Experts say dolphins' lower frequency vocalizations (between about 0.2 and 50kHz) are likely used in social communication while higher frequency clicks (40 to 150 kHz) are primarily used for spacial awareness.
Days after the signals were detected, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was 'very confident' they were from the black box on MH370.
 |
Embarrassing: Days after the signals were detected, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was 'very confident' they were from the black box on MH370 |
Australia, through the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, coordinated a search effort for MH370 in the southern corridor joining 25 other countries
AMSA coordinated the dispatch of 25 aircraft and 18 ships to scour a 230,000 sq mile (600,000 sq km) area of ocean with the seemingly-impossible task of locating the 24m-long debris
The search included up to 10 ships and 15 aircraft each day during the full-scale operation
The Bluefin-21 submarine conducted more than 17 missions underwater 334 search flights conducted and a total of 3,137 man hours been spent in the air
'We have very much narrowed down the search area...and we are very confident the signals are from the black box from MH370,' he said.
'We have a series of detections, some lasting for quite a long period of time.
'We're now getting to the stage from where the black box is starting to fade. We're hoping to get as much information as we can before the signal finally expires.
'I really don't want to give any more information than that at this stage...as a sign of respect to the Chinese people and their families.'
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
The information is provided by PaHarare Exptreme using online sources and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose.
Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
- Advertisement -
