A signal detected by a Chinese ship searching the Indian Ocean for flight MH370 is "consistent" with the type

emitted from the aircraft black bo ! according to the A"stralian e #military chief in charge of the h"nt$ China%s official &inh"a news agency reported 'at"rday that a black bo detector on board the Chinese search ship had picked "p a signal at a fre("ency of 37$)kH*$ +he ,nderwater Aco"stic -eacons on the MH370 flight data recorder and cockpit .oice recorder both operate at that fre("ency! a spokesman for Honeywell Aerospace! the man"fact"rers of the black bo es on board the missing plane! told A/0$ Air Chief Marshal Ang"s Ho"ston! head of coordination in the search! said the reported characteristics of the signal "are consistent with the aircraft black bo "$ A n"mber of white ob1ects were also sighted on the s"rface abo"t 20 kilometres from the detection area! he said! according to a statement by the 3oint Agency Coordination Centre 43ACC5$ Howe.er! he warned6 "+here is no confirmation at this stage that the signals and the ob1ects are related to the missing aircraft$" In a statement '"nday! the 3ACC reiterated that the signals had not been .erified$ ,p to 70 military planes! two ci.il planes and 73 ships will sco"r the remote waters on '"nday! almost a month to the day since the plane carrying 832 passengers and crew disappeared on a flight from 9"ala :"mp"r to -ei1ing on March ;$ +he h"nt will concentrate on abo"t 87<!000 s("are kilometres of the Indian Ocean aro"nd 8!000 kilometres 47!800 miles5 northwest of 0erth$ # Ca"tio"s reception # +he Chinese search ship Hai "n 07 picked "p the p"lse signal at abo"t 8) degrees so"th latit"de and 707 degrees east longit"de! &inh"a said in a brief dispatch 'at"rday$ A"stralia has asked China for more information! Ho"ston said! and was considering deploying search assets to the area$ Chinese officials also warned the signal had not yet been identified$ "'"spected p"lse signal picked "p by Hai "n 07 has not been identified yet!" the China Maritime 'earch and =esc"e Center said on a .erified microblog$ A"stralian >efence Minister >a.id 3ohnston echoed the words of ca"tion$

"+his is not the first time we ha.e had something that has t"rned o"t to be .ery disappointing!" he told A-C tele.ision$ A"stralian and -ritish .essels are c"rrently in.ol.ed in a ro"nd#the#clock "nderwater search hoping to pick "p a signal from the black bo ! b"t the battery powering those emissions is nearing the end of its ro"ghly 30#day life span$ +he Ocean 'hield! which is carrying a ,' ?a.y black bo detector! and HM' @cho! which has a similar capability! are searching a 8A0#kilometre track of ocean in hopes of detecting sonic pings from the recorder$ Howe.er! progress is painstaking as .essels m"st mo.e slowly to impro.e readings! and officials ha.e acknowledged there is no solid e.idence the plane went down in that stretch of sea$ # ,ni("e fre("ency # Anish 0atel! president of ,' black bo beacon man"fact"rer >"kane 'eacom! said he was "highly sceptical" abo"t the Chinese report 'at"rday$ "I wo"ld like to "nderstand why not two signals ## there sho"ld be a second beacon from either the flight data recorder or the .oice recorder$ 'o if the recorders are ad1acent or within reasonable pro imity$$$ they sho"ld ha.e detected possibly two signals!" he told C??$ "'o let%s get some additional assets in the water so we can corroborate! before we get e.eryone%s hopes "p! before we disappoint these families one more time I think we need to corroborate$" -"t Charitha 0attiaratchi! a professor of coastal oceanography at the ,ni.ersity of Bestern A"stralia! said the news was e citing$ "+he 3)$7 kH* is a man#made noise$ +here%s not another noise at that fre("ency!" he told A/0! adding that this was e actly why black bo pingers were set at this fre("ency$ "A whale or a dolphin or rain or an "nderwater earth("ake$$$ they ha.e a completely different fre("ency$" @arlier in 9"ala :"mp"r! +ransport Minister Hishamm"ddin H"ssein said Malaysia wo"ld! in line with international agreements! appoint an independent "in.estigator in charge" to lead an international team to probe what happened to MH370$ +he team will incl"de A"stralia! China! the ,nited 'tates! -ritain and /rance$

Hishamm"ddin again declined to pro.ide any detail from Malaysia%s ongoing in.estigation! howe.er! saying he remained foc"sed on finding the plane and its black bo $ Malaysian a"thorities belie.e satellite readings indicate MH370 crashed in the Indian Ocean! far off A"stralia%s western coastline! after .eering dramatically off co"rse$ -"t no proof has been fo"nd that wo"ld indicate a crash site! and A"stralian 0rime Minister +ony Abbott has described the oceanic search as "the most diffic"lt in h"man history"$