KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Two long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft from India took off from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang this morning to join the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines (MAS) jetliner in the Indian Ocean.
The P8-I of the Indian Navy and C-130J of the Indian Air Force have long endurance capabilities coupled with state of the art electro optronic and infra red search and reconnaissance equipment on board, said the Indian High Commission in Malaysia in a statement today.
It said the P8-I aircraft has the added advantage of on-board radars and specially designed search and rescue kits.
After extensive briefings at the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) on Saturday, both Indian aircraft took off this morning for the search areas allotted by the ARCC.
The statement said both aircraft arrived here on March 21 following a commitment from the Indian prime minister to assist Malaysia in locating the missing flight MH370.
India has been participating in the ensuing search since March 11 in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal with five ships and six aircraft of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard from the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
MH370 en route to Beijing, China vanished from the radar at about 1.30am on March 8 in the airspace between Malaysia and Vietnam, 49 minutes after leaving the KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang.
The Boeing 777-200ER was carrying 239 passengers and crew.
— BERNAMA
