Defense and industry officials got a glimpse last week of the latest in unmanned systems technologies, which many concede is the wave of the future for the U.S. military.

More than 5,000 people from 30 countries took part in the world's largest exhibition of ground robots and other unmanned systems at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's Unmanned Systems North America 2009 Exhibition. More than 320 of the latest unmanned aerial, maritime and ground vehicles were on display.

USAF Maj. Gen. Blair E. Hansen, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, addressed an audience at the event, saying unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are improving the military's capabilities. "That's the direction we're heading," Hansen said. "It's not a love affair with the platform of being unmanned. It's the capability it represents."

Hansen said he's staggered by the advancements and rapid developments of such systems. He added that he shares Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' enthusiasm and desire for more unmanned capabilities, citing the need to embrace today's technology to be a successful military.

Information- and technology-based warfare "is not going to be just a component of irregular warfare," Hansen said. "This is going to be a component of all of the kinds of engagements and operations we'll have in the future," he explained.

Aerial surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities from unmanned aerial systems -- such as the Predator, Shadow and Reaper -- give the military more options with their troops.

Rather than risking the lives of pilots flying tactical and surveillance planes in combat theaters, operators control the unmanned aircraft remotely from safe locations. Operators in the U.S. (in the case of the Predator and Reaper) 'fly' combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan without having to be in harm's way, Hansen explained. Unmanned systems provide combat power without projecting vulnerabilities, he added.

Gates has maintained publicly for more than a year that unmanned systems are more cost-effective and efficient than manned systems. In April, Gates cited unmanned aerial systems as an increasing part of the Air Force arsenal, as he recommended that Congress halt production of the F-22 Raptor fighter jet and devote more funding to unmanned systems.

This fiscal year, the USAF has spent more money on unmanned aerial systems and trained more operators than fighter jets and fighter pilots, Hansen said. Demand for unmanned systems by the U.S. military has increased more than 660 percent since 2004, he added.

The ability to operate for long periods without risking aviators is incredible, the general said. He referenced a recent mission in which a Global Hawk flew for 33 straight hours conducting reconnaissance operations for ground commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At a UAS symposium Aug. 4 -6 at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. USAF General Stephen R. Lorenz, commander of Air Education and Training Command, said the Air Force will train more UAS pilots than fighter and bomber pilots this year due to the immediate demand for UAS operators and UAS capability.

The U.S. military's expanded overseas use of unmanned aircraft highlights the increased importance of such aerial platforms to current and future military operations, said senior Air Force officers recently.

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan unveiled in July serves as a template for how the USAF will look in the future, said General William M. Fraser, the USAF vice chief of staff. "The future of our systems is really now," Fraser said. The flight plan, he explained, lays out the Air Force's "vision for maximizing our efforts in unmanned aerial systems" today and in the future. "We'll continue to push the UAS envelope," he added.

The flight plan isn't just about how UASs are employed today, but also about how unmanned aerial technology could be applied in different mission realms in order to confront future challenges. For example, UAS technology could one day perform other tasks, such as cargo transport and aircraft refueling missions.

There's lots of potential for expanding UAS technology across the military in the coming years, AF officials said, but replacing conventional fighter planes and pilots with unmanned aerial vehicles is a long way off.

The flight plan doesn't provide specific solutions, but it does address "concepts and possibilities that will fill in and morph over time," said USAF Col. Eric Mathewson, the director of the Air Force's UAS Task Force.