Last week at the unmanned vehicle conference UNVEX we unveiled Condor, our unmanned helicopter.  Thanks to its design, the helicopter has great potential for civilian as well as military purposes, and the use of drones for civilian purposes is very promising. Some of the most interesting applications are:

• Inspecting electrical infrastructures, pipes, dams and communication facilities in inaccessible locations
• Police and border surveillance
• Intervention in fires and catastrophe areas
• Farm work
• Photography and cartography
• Video recordings and television broadcasts
• Delivery services

The list of possible uses goes on and on, but they will never become a reality unless drone flights are regulated. Spain needs to create its own legislation but in coordination with the other countries involved in the Single European Sky initiative. As with so many other promising technologies, you can either be a pioneer or a follower. Being a pioneer in this instance would allow the country to boost and develop its industrial fabric and even become an international epicenter, especially if it could create a specialized sector to attract enterprises from all over the world (Silicon Valley effect).  This would generate wealth that would be directly reflected in economic variables like the gross domestic product, unemployment or company ratings, and would also have indirect repercussions on other aspects like the quality of universities and the country's position in the innovation ranking. But it is not enough to want to be a pioneer: it requires hard work and excellence.  In Spain we can point to a number of recent examples where we have tried to be pioneers—such as third-generation (3G) telephony licenses and photovoltaics—and the experience has ended in a bubble and a string of bankruptcies.

However, we must not let the failures of the past put us off, because we cannot afford to miss this opportunity to become Europe's leading reference for unmanned aerial vehicles. First and foremost, we need a clear, simple law, forward-looking legislation that clearly defines the operating conditions for drones rather than offering an endless list of ambiguous restrictions. It also needs to contemplate all the possible actors and not be filled with legal obstacles (in the form of licenses and accreditations) that only the most powerful can circumvent to participate in the industry. The second thing we need to do is complement a sensible law with tax incentives so that companies in the sector can invest in infrastructure and technology and start the ball rolling.

If we make Spain a country where it is easy to fly and where drones have numerous applications, the industry will improve the technology and will acquire the necessary experience to become the leading reference in the sector. Otherwise, we will have the same chance of gaining the upper hand as a shipyard in a desert!