A series of signals it picked up prompted Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to say he was “very confident” they were from the black box, which led to the deployment of the sub on April 14.
JACC said the operation would now move to the next phase involving sophisticated equipment to scan the unmapped ocean floor, with all existing information and analysis reviewed to define a new search zone of up to 60,000 square kilometres (23,000 square miles).
A Chinese survey ship, Zhu Kezhen, is currently mapping areas of the ocean in preparation for the commercially contracted deep sea search, which is expected to begin in August and take up to 12 months.
Australia has previously said this work could cost Aus$60 million. It is not clear how expensive the search operation has been so far.
Scott Hamilton, managing director of US based aerospace consultancy Leeham, said all the data would have to be re-examined “from start to finish” but he did not believe the search would be called off any time soon.
“I think it will be some time, perhaps years, before they completely throw in the towel,” he said.
– Relatives frustrated –
Many relatives of those on board, who were mostly from China and Malaysia, have voiced frustration over the lack of progress with Sarah Bajc, partner of American passenger Philip Wood, unimpressed by the latest developments.
“So what do I think of this new twist? I think it is consistent with the tangled mess that is this supposed investigation,” she told AFP.
Relatives accused Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday of withholding crucial data after it released a 47 page summary of communication logs from the plane recorded by British satellite operator Inmarsat — information they had long demanded.
Malaysia insists it is doing all it can in what is an unprecedented situation.
Relying in part on the Inmarsat data, officials believe the jet inexplicably veered off its flight path before crashing into the sea, possibly after running out of fuel.
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