No more charging breaks: DJI’s new drone system offers virtually endless flight time

DJI is best known for its consumer drones, such as the Neo 2. However, the manufacturer is also heavily active in the B2B sector, offering commercial platforms for various enterprise applications. High costs, heavy takeoff weights, and legal restrictions—such as Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations —make these professional models impractical for hobbyists. For emergency services, however, a drone can serve as a nimble, cost-effective alternative to a traditional helicopter.

DJI has now unveiled a new automated docking station, the DJI Dock 4. It can swap the battery on the new Matrice 5TD in just 25 seconds, allowing the drone to stay airborne with minimal downtime. Thanks to inductive power delivery during the battery swap, the Matrice 5TD remains powered on throughout the process. DJI advertises a flight time of up to 59 minutes, enabling long-distance missions and wide-area coverage.

Weighing 2,600 grams with a battery, the Matrice 5TD comes equipped with a versatile sensor array. In addition to standard aerial imaging, it supports nighttime operations and can be fitted with an optional NIR auxiliary light. An integrated laser rangefinder measures distances up to 3 kilometers, aiding operators in quickly estimating spatial data, such as mapping the perimeter of a wildfire.

According to DJI, the Matrice 5TD can recognize 17 object types in real time. First responders can even query specific targets using text or image prompts and receive automated anomaly alerts via SMS or email. The Matrice 5TD is available through commercial enterprise dealers. Unsurprisingly for the B2B market, DJI has not publicly disclosed pricing. A US release appears unlikely.