TimelineConfirmed19 Feb 2003 00:00 UTCISR / remote-control lineage
Boeing files uninterruptible-autopilot priority
19 February 2003 · later US7142971B2
Patent architecture: remote or automatic engagement; onboard controls may be disconnected; dedicated communications; inaccessible power path. Precedent, not an MH370 installation.
Issued as US7142971B2. Related publication US20040162670A1. The working report is explicit: this shows the concept existed well before 2014; it does not show fitment on 9M-MRO.
Sources
Related
EvidenceConfirmed19 Feb 2003 00:00 UTC
Boeing US7142971B2 — uninterruptible automatic control
Remote engagement · disconnected onboard controls
EvidenceConfirmed4 Nov 2003 00:00 UTC
Cubic US6641087B1 — anti-hijack remote pilot
Commercial retrofit · satellite relay · cockpit exclusion
HypothesisUnverified
External / uninterruptible autopilot on 9M-MRO
Engineering precedent exists. Installation on this airframe is not established.