However, the wet weather has been good news for some insects, such as the crane fly, dronefly and mosquitoes as well as molluscs such as slugs and snails, which all thrive in the damp conditions.
Gortney said a surface-to-air missile threat would have to be eliminate before pilotless aircraft such as the Global Hawk drone could fly missions to see how successful the strikes have been.
In the United States, people can fly model aircraft without approval from the Federal Aviation Administration if they keep the drone in line of sight, lower than 400 feet above ground and away from airports and air traffic.