>> reporter: and you can't find that box until you find the plane. >> this is an enormous search area. and it is something that malaysia cannot possibly search on its own. >> 2.24 million square nautical miles to be precise. an area nearly the size of the continental united states. dozens of planes, ships and helicopters from 26 countries are scouring this massive region. china and kazakhstan are taking the lead in the northern corrid corridor. australia and ipd nies yeah take the lead in the southern route. the australians are focusing their search on this area. the possible flight path they got based on the final pings from the plane to a satellite. >> they can't plot an exact position for each one, but sequentially they can be built up into a possible route the aircraft took. >> the u.s. navy is deploying a p 8 poseidon and a p-3 orion.