Could The Missing Plane Be Somewhere In China?.....

[global1]

Just asking. The 777 is a sophisticated piece of equipment - filled with all kinds of technological attributes.

Is this technology such that China would like to reverse engineer it? Could they have wanted a plane to take apart and learn from?

Or am I just too tired and just pulling out this half baked theory from my butt because I need some sleep?

[oldandhappy]

1. The longer this goes on, the more all of us are in the half-baked state.

I have wondered the same thing. The projected swing north for the plane goes over western China and I do not know what is there but I am guessing not much. Maybe plenty of space for nefarious activities.

[functioning_cog]

2. Various Chinese airlines already are in possession of 777's

[Victor_c3]

13. I was going to say that too

And many military analysts believe that China will pass Russia in the next 10-20 years in the arms exporting business - indicating that they aren't slouches in the military technology sector.

[Douglas Carpenter]

3. I think it is more likely that space aliens have it then that scenario

[enid602]

5. raptured

Personally, I think the aircraft was raptured. That would really piss the fundies off, what with all those passengers with Muslim sounding names.

[enid602]

4. 777

Chinese airlines are currently some of Boeing's biggest customers for these aircraft.

[LeftyMom]

6. They wouldn't need to, Air China has 27 777's and is phasing 17 of them out for Airbus A330s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_China#Fleet

If they wanted to reverse engineer one they could pull it out of a hangar and go nuts.

Would it kill people to google before posting any old thing that comes into their heads?

[rudolph the red]

7. that's very unlikely

[applegrove]

8. I wondered the same thing today. Only

I thought it could be one of the 'stans' and someone could be doing it for profit. Then some pundit on the news pointed out that the plane either crashed into the ocean or landed at an airport where somehow 239 people were made very, very quiet. And I no longer wanted to think about possible outcomes.

[Jenoch]

9. Does anyone remember when the Soviet Union

came out with their own space shuttle and it was identical to ours? Interesting, but no, China does not need to build their own 777.

[BainsBane]

10. It's in the Indian Ocean

and it's highly unlikely any debris will be found. That's my best guess.

[Demonaut]

11. seriously...they could just buy one if they haven't already

[PlanetaryOrbit]

12. There are plenty of Boeing 777s in China.

It wouldn't be necessary.

[randome]

14. "There's a lost horizon...waiting to be found."

[hr][font color="blue"][center]If you don't give yourself the same benefit of a doubt you'd give anyone else, you're cheating someone.[/center][/font][hr]

[avebury]

15. I woder if the plane was brought down on the

surface of the ocean (in as close to one piece as possible), small doors opened up to flood it and cause it to sink in one piece. Maybe someone want to create the mystery of the plane that vanished with no trace. If a person (or persons) yet identified was (were) connected to some terrorist group the goal might be to cause 1) a huge expenditures of resources to try to find the plane and 2) tap into the cheapest resource to cause the greatest harm - people's imaginations which can have a ripple effect on "airline security", more stringent "anti-terrorist" measures which may impact civil liberties or whatever. Look at the fallout from 9-11 and what has transpired in the US. Bin Laden set events in motion for one horrible day and out Government managed to do the rest with the Patriot Acts, warrent-less wiretaps and other laws, regulations, etc. The human species can often be its own worst enemy.

Edit to add: Successful sinking the plane in one piece would probably only work if they passengers and crew could be incapacitated to keep them from opening up the main doors which would allow for items that might float to get out of the plane.

[PlanetaryOrbit]

16. The 777's not even a very new airplane anymore.

The Boeing 787 would be a much more modern aircraft.