Just a point about these sequential "ACARS" reports - if the aircraft
was in fact terminally damaged or breaking up, would'nt the computer
systems automatically "report" all sorts of breakdowns, simultaneously,
and yet, these immediate transmission could have been received over
a longer time period by the Paris base due to conditions at the time
and the fact that atmospheric conditions can and do interfere with
such radio transmissions ?
I'm not a pilot but more of a computer / communications person. Wouldn't the reports include a time stamp of when the failure occurred ?