He who waits, wins in the world of unmanned aircraft.

The unmanned aerial vehicle lives a life of patient waiting. Some of the flying machines can stay aloft more than 24 hours to beam video and radar images back to their operators.

Executives who want to break into new markets for the pilotless birds may have to wait patiently, too.

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Military markets are growing, report two major San Diego employers that produce large UAVs. However, that growth is subject to delays common to defense acquisition.

While a nonmilitary market holds much promise, a big question remains on how many years it will take domestic authorities to clear UAVs for day-to-day use.

There will be a "huge blossoming" in the world of nonmilitary UAVs when the Federal Aviation Administration puts out requirements for the safe operation of UAVs over U.S. soil, said Rick Ludwig, a San Diego-based executive with UAV-maker Northrop Grumman Corp., a $32 billion defense contractor based in Los Angeles.

Ludwig says authorities could use the aircraft to inspect power lines or pipelines, such as the isolated Alaska Pipeline.

UAVs could also keep an eye on oil spills and fisheries, said Tom Cassidy, president of the aircraft systems group at San Diego-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. They could also collect atmospheric data for government scientists. But orders aren't trickling in--yet.

"I think it's a few years downstream," Cassidy said.

GA-Aeronautical Systems, maker of the Predator series of aircraft, is privately held and does not publicly report its revenue.

In October, NASA used the company's larger bird, the 10,000-pound Predator B, to gather information on the California wildfires, Government officials clamored for the data, said John Del Frate, an executive with NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in the Mojave Desert. Yet fielding such a system from July to October would not be a cheap proposition. "You're talking millions," Del Frate said.

Del Frate is an enthusiastic customer. "There are a ton of applications" for UAVS, the NASA executive said. "The question is, can you afford them?"

Northrop's Ludwig said vendors might consider a pay-by-the-hour arrangement.

Military Gray

For now, military work is the UAV makers' mainstay. A visit to GA-Aeronautical Systems' plant last week showed Army models sharing the floor with Air Force drones. Both can deliver missiles. Air Force leaders "want more, more, more" of the aircraft, said GA executive Chris Ames, leading a tour. There are foreign customers. An Italian Predator stood among the gray aircraft. U.S. Customs and Border Protection also fields Predators.

This year, GA-Aeronautical Systems' revenue should be 50 percent greater than its 2007 revenue, Cassidy said, predicting further growth because of his product's reliability and the company's familiarity with customer needs.

The plant will move at the end of the year from Rancho Bernardo to Poway. GA will gain 200,000 square feet, a more efficient floor plan and the ability to almost double production. The company employs 2,200 in San Diego and may hire 200 more workers once the move is complete, Cassidy said.

Cassidy reports his company is using more subcontractors than previously, and will soon debut a heavier, Predator C model.

Northrop executive Bill Walker predicts "significant growth" in his company's UAV business, with new customers and expanded missions. The company does no assembly in San Diego, though it employs 1,800 people in project management and engineering.

In April, the Navy awarded Northrop a contract to build a version of its 26,750- pound Global Hawk, though competing contractors protested the award. The company will know by August whether it can go forward. If so, Northrop will hire hundreds of people for the project, Walker said.

The company is also developing an aircraft carrier-based UAV and is working to sell its Fire Scout unmanned helicopter internationally. It may bid on a small (50-to 150-pound) UAV for the Navy and Marines.