WASHINGTON — The military’s reliance on unmanned aircraft that can watch, hunt and sometimes kill insurgents has soared to more than 500,000 hours in the air, largely in Iraq. New Defense Department figures obtained by The Associated Press also show that the Air Force more than doubled its monthly use of drones between January and October, and that it took pilots out of the air and shifted them to remote-flying duty to help meet the demand. The dramatic increase in the development and use of drones across the armed services reflects what will be an even more intense effort over the next 25 years, according to the new report. The rise in Iraq coincided with the buildup of U.S. forces this summer as the military increased its numbers to quell the violence in Baghdad. But Pentagon officials said that even as military personnel begin to come home this year, the use of Predators, Global Hawks, Shadows and Ravens is not likely to slow. ‘I think right now the demand for the capability that the unmanned system provides is only increasing,’ said Army Col. Bob Quackenbush, the deputy director for Army Aviation. For some Air Force pilots, […]