Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace consultant with the Teal Group, also based in Virginia, says no changes should be made to aircraft designs in response to the MH370 case. "The experience of the past few decades shows that bad guys can find a way around technical solutions if they are on a plane, so the most cost-effective use of resources is to keep them off of jets," Aboulafia said. "Authorities need to improve human intelligence with better vetting of flight crews, better sharing of information about passengers, and better safeguards against counterfeit passports, even if they were not a problem with the missing plane," he added.

News that South Korea expects to spend 7.34 trillion won ($6.79 billion) for 40 F-35s is a plus for Lockheed, said Richard Aboulafia, aerospace analyst with the Virginia-based Teal Group, but the company needs more orders to help drive down the unit cost of the new warplanes. “The risk is that it stays too expensive to order in large quantities, and the lack of large quantities means that it stays too expensive,” he said.

“Everybody thinks that whatever Malaysia leases will eventually become the long-term solution because the Air Force will have already invested in infrastructure items like bases, spares and training,” Garwood said.Leasing civil airliners like the Boeing 737 is big business, but in the fighter world, it’s a rare event. Sweden’s Saab is the only top-line combat jet supplier involved in leasing, with existing deals with the Czech Republic and Hungary for the Gripen for several years.Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia reckons that Saab’s experience in fighter leasing could give it the edge in Malaysia.“They have planes to spare, they know how to structure this kind of deal and have a good presence in the region,” he said.Neighboring Thailand is operating the Gripen, having purchased 12 of the single-engine combat jets.

‘‘It suggests something else horrific is being planned, because no one is claiming credit or saying ’Ha ha, you have to deal with us.’ There have been no demands for the 200-something hostages on the aircraft,’’ Hamlin said. Although this line of thinking has spawned a great deal of speculation, there is no hard evidence for it. Investigators have not indicated that anyone on the plane has any affiliation with a terrorist organisation or showed signs of a murderous mind-set. Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst, said he doubts Hamlin’s scenario of the Boeing 777 being used to deliver a bomb. ‘‘Jeez Louise, why mess around with a triple-7? Go and rent yourself a Cessna,’’ Aboulafia said.

A Boeing company executive told Reuters that it’s making less EA-18G military aircraft until Congress increases the orders. In fact, after 2016 the company plans to shut down the St. Louis production line of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. This could affect Boeing’s operating results as sizable part of the revenue is derived from the U.S. government. Also, according to aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia, another essential factor that’s having a bearing on Boeing’s defense arm is Lockheed Martin‘s top fighter aircraft, the F-35, which is endangering the existence of Boeing’s F-15, F-18, and C-17.