A British company has launched what could be the final search mission for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which vanished 11 years ago.

Marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity's deep-water support vessel Armada 7806 arrived at a new search zone in the Indian Ocean, 1,200 miles off Perth, Australia, over the weekend.

Autonomous underwater vehicles were deployed from the ship within hours of arrival, and have since begun detailed scans of the seabed.

The AUVs and remote recovery vehicles are being operated via satellite link from Ocean Infinity's control centre in Southampton.

Ocean Infinity's deep-water support vessel Armada 7806 arrived at a new search zone in the Indian Ocean, 1,200 miles off Perth, over the weekend

MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The Boeing 777 turned back before reaching Vietnam and veered southwest across the Malay peninsula towards the Indian Ocean, before disappearing from radar.

Back in December, Malaysia indicated that it was ready to support a fresh search, with a "no find, no fee" deal worth £55m if Ocean Infinity located the aircraft.

But with no final agreement in place, Ocean Infinity has gone ahead independently before the Southern Hemisphere's winter arrives.

Malaysia Airlines flight 370 vanished in 2014

The Armada 7806 will explore several "hotspots" where researchers believe the plane's fuselage might be located.

One area under investigation is said to have received insufficient attention in previous searches, while another zone assumes MH370 travelled 100 nautical miles further than calculated.

Meanwhile, a third search area is based on analysis of ham radio signal disturbances.

The Armada 7806, built in 2023, is considered the most technically advanced ship of its kind.

Its AUVs can operate for four days underwater, twice as long as their 2018 predecessors, and can reach depths of 6km with advanced 3D-imagers, sonars, lasers and cameras.

The Armada 7806 (pictured) will explore several 'hotspots' where researchers believe the plane's fuselage might be located

And retired aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey estimates a "50-50" chance of finding MH370.

"People think the seabed is smooth but really it's a horrible place. It's covered in canyons and cliffs, seamounts and volcanoes, pitch black with huge pressure and temperatures only slightly above zero," he said.

The new search area spans 15,000 sq km, significantly smaller than the 120,000 sq km covered in previous attempts.

Should Ocean Infinity locate the wreckage, Malaysian approval would be required before any recovery operation could begin.