DJI M400: Automatic vessel landings for offshore drone operations

• Video showcases DJI M400's ability to autonomously land on a vessel;

• Trial was conducted in collaboration between heliguy™ and international drone services provider, Skeye;

• The M400 performed a controlled return to deck - despite choppy waters;

• Automatic take-off and landing helps offshore operations - offering a powerful solution for routine, repeatable, and risk-free drone workflows at sea.

This video shows how the DJI Matrice 400 can autonomously land on a moving vessel - delivering safer and more reliable workflows at sea.

The trials were staged in collaboration between heliguy™ and Skeye, a leading international drone services provider with expertise in offshore inspection.

Despite some choppy waters, the aircraft executed a precise and controlled return to deck.

“We were positively surprised by how well the M400 performed the automatic landings on our moving vessel,” said Wouter van Deventer, OPS Manager (inspection) at Skeye.

For decades, launching and recovering drones at sea has been one of the toughest tests for maritime pilots — a process often reliant on manual grabs and pinpoint flying skill, adding risk, downtime, and uncertainty.

Now, the DJI M400’s automatic take-off and landing system offers a smarter solution, meeting the requirements of offshore operations, such as maritime patrol and wind turbine inspection.

DJI M400 offshore test overview

Skeye’s offshore inspection team conducted the demonstration off the coast of Rotterdam, at the point where the de Maas estuary meets the North Sea.

Test details:

• Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025.

• Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands.

• Vessel type: Crew Transfer Vessel (4 x 8 metres).

• Sea state: Calm, with some choppy waters.

• Wave height: 0.6m.

• Wind speed: 11m/s.

• Precipitation: None.

The landing pad — designed and supplied by heliguy™ — was a custom-printed carpeted mat with a rubber-backed base for grip. It measured 1.8m x 1.8m, and was attached with strong magnets.

How the DJI M400’s auto-landing works

The M400 is designed to launch from stationary vessels and land on moving ones — using onboard sensors and pattern recognition to identify its landing target and descend with precision.

The mat should be placed on a flat, unobstructed, and uniformly-coloured surface.

Take-off Procedure:

• Place drone on the mat, then enable Boat Launch Mode.

• Ascend to 20m altitude before flight.

Landing procedure:

• Engage Return-to-Home (RTH) and position the drone above the landing marker.

• Once the system detects the marker, press C1 on the remote controller to enter auto-landing mode.

• The M400 then automatically adjusts altitude and lateral position to land accurately on the target.

• If the aircraft cannot complete the landing, it will abort and ascend safely to 20m, alerting the pilot with a voice and on-screen prompt. This ensures failsafe redundancy, even in dynamic offshore conditions.

With its IP55 rating, 12m/s wind resistance, and -20°C to 50°C operating range, the M400 is engineered for demanding maritime environments.

Expert insight: Skeye’s experience

With bases in the UK, Romania, and The Netherlands, Skeye is a global leader in offshore inspection, asset digitisation, and survey monitoring.

Having deployed the DJI M350 RTK across numerous maritime missions, Skeye was keen to evaluate the M400’s new take-off and landing system.

Wouter said: “The DJI M400 handled the test conditions exceptionally well.”

Immediate engine shut-down

One of the biggest improvements is the DJI M400’s ability to immediately shut down the engine upon touch-down - both in automatic and manual landings.

This is an improvement on the DJI M350/M300 RTK - which can only be landed manually.

Wouter said: “The biggest benefit with the M400’s automatic landing is that the engines turn off at the moment the drone hits the deck.

“With the M350 and M300, the engines stay on for a longer period of time because it can’t tell it’s on the ground due to the vessel movements."

Enhanced flight time

He also praised the M400’s additional flight time - enabling more inspection data per deployment.

Wouter said: “We were surprised how much endurance the battery could take, especially in the windy conditions with some strong gusts.

“The M400 stayed super stable, and we have achieved in excess of 40 minutes with it.

“Mostly in offshore environments, you are working at the limits of the drone, so longer flight times are very beneficial.”

Ideal for larger vessels and smaller vessels on calm waters

Wouter did admit that, during the test, the M400 was unable to automatically land on the test vessel when waves were higher than 0.6 metres.

But he said the M400’s automatic landing functionality would greatly assist operations on larger service operation vessels, or on smaller vessels in calmer sea conditions (wave height 0.5 metres or less).

Why the DJI M400’s automatic take-off/landing matters for offshore operations

In offshore industries — from wind turbine inspection and maritime patrol to ship-based asset monitoring — every second counts.

Drone operations often take place in unpredictable conditions, where even a minor landing error can risk crew safety or equipment damage.

By automating take-off and landing, the M400 delivers a series of major benefits:

• Reduces human error in critical recovery phases.

• Speeds up mission turnaround by simplifying operations.

• Keeps pilots and crew safe, removing the need for risky manual retrieval.

• Extends operational windows, even in moderate wave conditions.

Together, these improvements make the M400 a powerful enabler for routine, repeatable, and risk-free offshore drone workflows.

A benchmark for maritime drone safety

The heliguy™–Skeye trials confirm that the DJI Matrice 400 offers a solution to help drone safety, efficiency, and autonomy during offshore deployments.

This enables maritime teams to focus on data, not danger.

And as offshore industries continue to embrace aerial robotics, the M400’s automated vessel landing opens tangible benefits for wind farm inspection, coastal security, and marine asset management.

Interested in starting or scaling your operations with the DJI M400? heliguy™ can help you integrate it into your workflows, offering consultancy, supply, pilot training, regulatory services, and crash support at our UK-based repair centre. Contact our enterprise specialists today for more details.