[October 01, 2009] Air Force to expand Gotcha radar Tweet (United Press International Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The U.S. Air Force aims to make significant contributions in support of warfighters and counter-terrorism efforts through its supercomputer-based Gotcha radar. Scientists at the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directors used the SGI Altix ICE 8200 supercomputer to help the Gotcha radar process terabytes of streaming real-time data into high-resolution images. Named Desch, after Joseph Desch, the scientist who helped crack the Nazi Enigma code, the system can monitor "city-sized" areas of interest to monitor small scenery changes and track movements in urban environments, the U.S. Air Force said. "To unravel their networks and defeat this enemy we must watch over entire cities, day and night, in all weather conditions," said David Jerome, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate. The military tested Gotcha in 2006 with the radar focused on a spot measuring more than one-half mile wide. Air Force researchers aim to expand the real-time and forensic capabilities of the Gotcha radar to a 3-mile diameter by 2010. Copyright 2009 by United Press International [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]