Originally Posted by
mabuhay_2000
Ok, we need to dissect what the Malaysian PM has just said.
He said that ACARS was SWITCHED OFF just after the a/c left the east coast of Malaysia. He said nothing about it ever being SWITCHED ON again subsequently.
He then said that satellites picked up signals from the a/c until 08.11hrs local.
Now, assuming that ACARS remained switched off, what was the nature of the signals the satellite picked up until 08.11hrs local?
Presumably, the signals must have been some sort of comms between the a/c and some other party. I'm guessing that whoever pulled this off would have been smart enough to encrypt any comms from the a/c to a third party.
So now the question would be... Can the various agencies crack the encrypted comms? My guess is yes, but it might take a while. And a lot of things can happen in that period.
It seems more likely that this a/c has been set down somewhere, not just kamikazes into the Indian Ocean. So, if the 'pirate' that took it thinks that somebody is onto them what will they do with the a/c and any pax/crew that may still be alive?
ACARS being turned off, means that data would no longer be sent, however the onboard satellite transmitter continued to get a baseline connection to the satellite just incase it needs to transmit the same as a mobile phone searches for cells so its ready to go when you needs to make a call. Like a mobile phone, ACARS is a two way communication....it can receive data as well like weather reports... (I think the receiving of data requires firstly a request for data from the planes ACARS system especially with regards to weather reports) -
Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia