The new search strategy, based on a systematic survey of a large area, of about 10,000 km2, has led to an evolution in the naval equipment to be employed. Given the large area of seafloor to be explored and given the performances expected from the simultaneous use of three REMUS AUV's, the localisation campaign could last until July 2011. This would correspond to three stages of 36 days each (30 days in the search zone and 6 days transit for port calls in Brazil).
The operation would thus be divided into two phases:
a localisation phase (phase 4) financed by the industry, which will use a relatively small and thus less expensive vessel;
a phase of detailed observation and recovery if the wreckage is discovered (phase 5), financed by the French State.
The undersea equipment selected for phase 4 was already used in the previous campaign. It includes the two REMUS 6000 AUV's belonging to the Waitt Institute as well as one REMUS 6000 AUV from the German Geomar oceanographic institute. The whole operation has been placed under the operational responsibility of the U.S.-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), which already participated in the previous campaign.
The search vessel Alucia will leave its home port in Seattle at the beginning of February to sail towards the port of Suape (Brazil) via the Panama canal. There it will load the Geomar REMUS and the participants in the expedition around 15 March so as to be in the search area approximately five days later.
Phase 4 will come to an end upon detection and identification of the wreckage by the BEA, and at the latest, at the end of the third stage in July.
If the wreckage is found, the BEA will immediately launch phase 5, involving detailed observation and recovery, by calling on one of the three vessels pre-selected in the meantime, which will be chosen on the basis of their availability at the time of the discovery.
