Airliner missing between Malaysia and Cambodia/Vietnam, terrorism possible

[Biggus]

Anyone know where the Sabalan and Kharg are currently in their trip to the US east coast?

There's this report.

“An Australian AP-3C Orion encountered an Iranian frigate during a routine Operation Gateway patrol on 10 March 2013,” said a Defence Department spokesperson.

The Iranian Navy ships were reportedly heading home after a port visit to Zhangjiagang in China and were nearing Sri Lanka when they were intercepted by the Australian aircraft.

[anotherguy]

There's this report.

That's from 2013. This is what I am referring too:

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/...se-for-concern

I think the plane is underwater, but the potential of the world seeing it airborne again as a weapon exists until disproven.

Definitely reaching, but these ships were laughed off by everyone when their mission was announced. Their public statement that "the mission has a message" is laughable unless the message is to get a tetanus booster. Why send two easily-sunk ships including your largest supply ship to our coast?

As I said, definitely reaching, but I was looking at available information about passengers on board and got to thinking about the two Iranians with stolen passports and what other moves Iran has been making in the world.

[Biggus]

That's from 2013.

Good pickup. It's a very interesting question.

[anotherguy]

Good pickup. It's a very interesting question.

While I haven't done it yet, I would bet that the plot of the known 2013 route of both ships would be interesting when added to the map of the known flight information. Right around a year before MH370 went missing, those two ships were the first ship Iranian naval ships to traverse the Straight of Malacca since 1979.

If I was writing this as a novel, I would be using the Iranian's claim that they identified 370 surface and subsurface vessels on the 2013 mission as a plot piece, but in reality I would guess it means that they saw some boats that they were able to identify as such.

Possibly coincidentally, a Russian SIGINT ship has been in port in both Venezuela and Cuba this month. Presumably to monitor our reactions to the Iranian vessels.

[Biggus]

While I haven't done it yet, I would bet that the plot of the known 2013 route of both ships would be interesting when added to the map of the known flight information. Right around a year before MH370 went missing, those two ships were the first ship Iranian naval ships to traverse the Straight of Malacca since 1979.

If I was writing this as a novel, I would be using the Iranian's claim that they identified 370 surface and subsurface vessels on the 2013 mission as a plot piece, but in reality I would guess it means that they saw some boats that they were able to identify as such.

Possibly coincidentally, a Russian SIGINT ship has been in port in both Venezuela and Cuba this month. Presumably to monitor our reactions to the Iranian vessels.

I've spent a couple of hours considering that it's possible that the Iranian ships were in the area, and what their actions could possibly be should they decide that MH370 was a threat or otherwise a target.

Here's my problem: What armaments would either ship carry that could engage an airliner at 35kft? Both ships have basic AAA, conceivably they might have a few MANPADs, but firing a Strela at a target at FL350 is a bit like attempting to snipe someone a mile away with a .22LR.

So we'd be left with some sort of electronic warfare scenario.

I'm not discounting it, because there were a few other irregularities in the area in terms of transponder discrepancies. Not terribly unusual, but they were all in the same area around the same time.