DJI unveils Matrice 5T drone for demanding day and night missions

Thermal imaging and night vision

The Matrice 5T has an IP55 rating for protection against dust and rain, a claimed flight time of up to 59 minutes, and an operating temperature range from −20 °C to 50 °C, according to DJI. Its infrared thermal camera has a native resolution of 1K, or 1 280 × 1 024, which DJI says provides four times as many pixels as standard 640 × 512 sensors.

When ultra-high-resolution infrared mode is enabled, the image resolution rises to 2 560 × 2 048. DJI says this helps keep thermal anomalies visible against complex backgrounds. The wide-angle camera uses a 1/0,98-inch sensor and an f/1,8 aperture, with ISO sensitivity reaching 1 600 000 and AI-based low-light image enhancement for conditions as dim as 0,01 lux.

The drone also includes a 50 MP medium-telephoto camera with 3× optical zoom for inspections from 10 meters away. Its telephoto system supports monochrome night vision, 11× optical zoom and 176× hybrid zoom, allowing operators to read license plates from up to 400 meters, according to DJI.

Sensors and AI for difficult environments

DJI says the Matrice 5T is its first compact enterprise drone to combine LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar and omnidirectional vision. The LiDAR can detect fine obstacles, including power lines, from up to 32 meters away at night. The millimeter-wave radar is designed to detect surroundings through interference caused by fog, rain and dust.

Color fisheye sensors support visual positioning in light levels as low as 0,5 lux. Vision Assist now provides color imagery, while the drone can combine visual and radar data to map its surroundings in real time in areas with weak GNSS signals, such as deep canyons and skyscraper zones.

Embedded AI models can detect more than 20 target types, including vehicles and ships, by analyzing thermal and visible feeds in parallel. Through DJI FlightHub 2, operators can use text and visual prompts to search for targets in DJI Pilot 2, create patrol routes on a map, and attach actions such as hovering, image capture, video recording and audio broadcasting. DJI also says its open onboard computing platform supports third-party models.

Longer transmission and professional workflows

The O4 Enterprise Enhanced video transmission system offers a range of up to 40 km, compared with 25 km for the previous generation, according to DJI. Adaptive multiband switching is designed to handle urban interference, while two integrated DJI Cellular Dongle 2 modules can automatically switch to the best available network connection. Smart Relay and other relay configurations are intended to preserve signal transmission across complex terrain and during single-drone or multi-drone operations.

When paired with DJI Terra, the Matrice 5T supports centimeter-level surveying without ground control points. DJI Terra can turn thermal imagery into 2D thermal maps, display temperatures and mark anomalies for inspections of solar plants and power networks. During flight, the remote controller can process 200 photos in 8 minutes to create local point clouds or 2.5D models, and it can generate an approximate 3D model from a single flight for automated route planning.

The drone also supports power-line inspection, takeoff from moving ships and landing-point recognition on a ship deck. Custom DJI Pilot plugins let developers add tailored features to DJI Pilot 2 as floating windows. For regulated operations, DJI says the Matrice 5T includes a flight termination system module supporting C6 compliance. The company also highlights FlightHub 2's ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications, explicit user consent for sharing photos and videos, AES-256 encryption for account data, and restrictions on flight-log synchronization for users based in the United States.