Chinese aircraft starts search for missing jet

Two Chinese aircraft stand by for search mission at an air force base to the north of Perth, Australia, on March 23, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

ABOARD IL-76 AIRCRAFT - A Chinese IL-76 aircraft flew into position off Australia on Monday morning and has started searching for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

A Xinhua correspondent on board the military plane reported that the sea area, some 2,500 km west of Perth, is cloudy, with the bottom of the cloud merely 300 meters above water, while the aircraft is flying at a height of some 320 meters.

Earlier Monday, the aircraft's crew communicated in flight with Chinese icebreaker Xuelong -- which is cruising to the search area -- exchanging information on weather and sea conditions.

The plane is one of the two Chinese IL-76s that took off from Perth for Monday's search mission, which, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, involves 10 aircraft in total.