DJI Matrice 5T: Features and specs

DJI has launched the DJI Matrice 5T, a foldable, IP-rated drone that combines native 1K thermal imaging, full-colour night vision on all three visual cameras, and up to 59 minutes of flight time. Built for emergency response and inspection, with on-site surveying and modelling capability, it packs built-in LiDAR and mmWave radar, open edge AI and O4 Enterprise Enhanced transmission into an IP55-rated airframe.

In this guide, we break down the Matrice 5T's features and specs, including its cameras, sensing, flight performance, the new DJI RC Plus 3 Enterprise controller, and the new DJI AS2 Speaker and DJI AL2 Spotlight.

Key takeaways: DJI Matrice 5T

• Foldable design: Folding arms make the Matrice 5T easier to transport and fast to deploy, from the back of a response vehicle to a remote inspection site.

• Native 1K thermal: 1280 × 1024 resolution, four times the pixel count of 640 × 512 sensors, with a 2560 × 2048 UHR Infrared Image mode.

• Triple 50 MP visual cameras: Wide, medium tele and tele cameras, all with full-colour night vision, plus up to 176× hybrid zoom.

• 3 km laser rangefinder: Measure, mark and share target positions at long range.

• Wire-level obstacle sensing: A rotating LiDAR, three-directional mmWave radar and full-colour omnidirectional vision, all built in.

• All-weather protection: IP55-rated, operating from -20°C to 50°C.

• Extended endurance: Up to 59 minutes of flight time, 54 minutes of hover time and a top speed of 23 m/s.

• Reliable connectivity: O4 Enterprise Enhanced transmission up to 20 km (CE), dual built-in 4G and multiple relay modes.

• Open edge AI: Onboard detection of 20+ target types, with open computing for third-party algorithms.

• New controller: Comes with the DJI RC Plus 3 Enterprise, with a 7.44-inch, 2000-nit screen and around 6 hours of runtime.

• New speaker and spotlight: The DJI AS2 Speaker and DJI AL2 Spotlight can be fitted together, while keeping the built-in LiDAR and mmWave sensing.

• DJI Care Enterprise Plus: First year included free with the aircraft.

• heliguy™ support: Access supply, training, repairs and specialist UK SORA guidance from heliguy™'s in-house teams.

DJI Matrice 5T: Key specifications at a glance

See the full list on the DJI Matrice 5T product page.

What's in the box?

Please note, the Intelligent Flight Battery is not included and is available separately. We recommend three batteries for continuous operation with the Charging Hub.

Foldable design: Built to go where you need it

The Matrice 5T's carbon fibre arms fold away for transport, reducing its footprint to 335 × 155 × 203 mm. Emergency responders can keep it ready in a vehicle and launch on arrival, while inspection crews can carry it to hard-to-reach sites.

The aircraft can be stored in its carrying case with the AL2 Spotlight still fitted.

Native 1K thermal camera

The Matrice 5T's thermal camera has a native 1280 × 1024 resolution, four times the pixel count of a 640 × 512 sensor. Smaller 8 μm pixels and a wide f/0.85 aperture mean clearer heat signatures, helping search teams locate people among trees and inspectors spot abnormal heat from further away.

• UHR Infrared Image: Real-time 2560 × 2048 thermal video at 30 fps.

• Fusion Mode: Combine thermal and visible imagery in Picture-in-Picture or Overlay views, with edge enhancement for clearer outlines. Adjust the fusion ratio with the controller's dial.

• Radiometric data: Spot and area temperature measurement, saved as R-JPEG, with a new temperature calibration feature to help maintain accuracy over time.

• AI detection: Detects people, vehicles, vessels and moving heat sources in thermal imagery, with the higher resolution improving small-target detection.

Note that the thermal camera's focus range starts at 10 m, so very close-range thermal subjects may appear soft.

Visual cameras, zoom and night vision

All three visual cameras have been upgraded to 50 MP, and all three now offer full-colour night vision.

• 176× hybrid zoom: The 252 mm tele is 50% longer than the Matrice 4T's 168 mm, and its RYYB sensor captures 30% more light. DJI says it can read licence plates from 400 m. In good light, it switches to an 8K mode at 26× and above for extra clarity.

• Full-colour night vision: Available on the wide, medium tele and tele cameras, in light as low as 0.01 lux. Improved processing, with 16 times the NPU power of the Matrice 4 Series, delivers clearer, smoother night imagery.

• Monochrome night vision: Available on the tele camera at 11× zoom and above, paired with an NIR auxiliary light that illuminates up to 100 m without visible light.

• 3 km laser rangefinder: Ranges to 3000 m (1200 m at oblique incidence), up from 1800 m on the Matrice 4T. Mark a target's position with one button, share it, and draw lines and polygons to measure distances and areas, such as a wildfire front.

• Split-screen views: Combine the wide, tele, thermal, assist view and map in up to 11 layouts. Capture from multiple cameras at once, saving up to four images per shot.

High-accuracy surveying and rapid modelling

The Matrice 5T is not a dedicated survey drone, but it can capture accurate mapping data during inspections or incident response, so one aircraft can serve several purposes.

• Rolling Shutter correction: The wide camera has no mechanical shutter, so DJI Terra applies rolling shutter correction for high-accuracy reconstruction.

• TimeSync 2.0: Synchronises the camera, gimbal, flight controller and RTK module, and writes the precise camera optical centre into each image's metadata.

• 2D thermal mapping: Create thermal maps with temperature measurement and annotation.

• In-flight modelling: Build flight-route, area-route and 2.5D models locally, then annotate and measure on site. DJI recommends keeping each reconstruction under 400 photos.

Obstacle sensing and all-weather protection

The Matrice 5T's perception suite is built in, with no separate module to fit. LiDAR, mmWave radar and full-colour vision complement each other, so the aircraft can sense wires by day and night, and the mmWave radar works through rain, fog and dust.

• Full-colour assist view: Improves awareness of your surroundings, compared with the monochrome view on the Matrice 4 Series.

• Sensor-fusion positioning: Keeps missions running where GNSS is weak or RTK has no fix, such as under bridges.

• Airspace awareness: A built-in ADS-B receiver alerts you to crewed aircraft, and a new Remote ID receiver detects nearby DJI drones.

• Sealed airframe: A multi-compartment, fully sealed housing provides the IP55 rating. Anti-ice propellers are available for cold conditions.

Obstacle sensing performance can vary with fog, rain or snow, and with the material, position and shape of objects. The aircraft cannot actively avoid fast-moving objects.

Flight performance, battery and charging

A higher-capacity battery and efficient propulsion give the Matrice 5T 5 to 10 minutes more flight time per sortie than the Matrice 4 Series.

• Low-noise propellers: The standard 14.2-inch propellers are low-noise and high-efficiency, and support flights up to 7000 m.

• DJI Matrice 5 Series Battery: 10073 mAh, 215.2 Wh, 6S, 768 g, with low-temperature self-heating and a two-stage latch for secure fitting.

• Quick turnaround: Hot-swapping is not supported, but optimised start-up allows re-takeoff in as little as 10 seconds after a battery change.

• 515W Charging Hub: Charges three batteries in sequence, with active cooling, Standard (100%) and Standby (95%) modes, and a USB-C port that can charge the controller.

• Charging times: Around 45 minutes from 0% to 100%, and 31 minutes from 10% to 95%, at 25°C. With three batteries, this supports continuous operation in typical conditions.

Transmission, 4G and relay

• Interference resistance: Adaptive multi-band switching and smart frequency hopping help maintain a stable link among high-rise buildings.

• Dual 4G as standard: The two modules act as mutual backups, automatically using the better network link, with no external dongle to buy.

• Flexible relay: Use one controller to fly a relay and work drone, two controllers to fly them separately, or chain two relay drones for dual-hop missions around terrain. One Matrice 5T can relay for up to two others.

Relay is unavailable in countries or regions without 5 GHz frequency support, and operating frequencies vary by region.

Open edge AI and mission workflows

The Matrice 5T analyses visible and thermal imagery onboard, in parallel, helping teams detect, analyse and act in the field.

• Automated power line inspection: The top-mounted LiDAR tracks conductors and ground wires, so the aircraft flies sideways along the line and follows its sag automatically, with no pre-built 3D model or RTK required. It supports single- to octo-bundled conductors, helping teams spot broken strands and foreign objects with less manual workload.

• Boat Launch: Take off from and land on stationary or moving vessels, using a deck landing marker, for maritime patrols and offshore inspections. DJI recommends vessel speeds below 10 knots and wind below 5 m/s.

• DJI FlightHub 2: Multimodal object detection, real-time field-to-command sharing, and remote control of the aircraft, gimbal camera, PSDK accessories and routes.

• DJI Pilot 2 custom plugins: Third-party developers can add floating widgets, map annotations and other tools into DJI Pilot 2 for tailored workflows.

• Open developer ecosystem: Supports Payload SDK, Mobile SDK and Cloud API.

DJI RC Plus 3 Enterprise: A new controller

The Matrice 5T comes with the new DJI RC Plus 3 Enterprise. It has a 7.44-inch, 2000-nit screen, a smart antenna panel and built-in 4G, and its larger battery gives around 6 hours of runtime, up from 3.8 hours on the DJI RC Plus 2 Enterprise.

• Smart antenna panel: Smart beam steering extends range and improves stability in complex environments. Point the panel towards the aircraft for the best signal, and unfold it to power on the controller.

• No external battery needed: The larger internal battery means there's no need for an external battery.

• Ports: HDMI 1.4 output, SD card slot, nano-SIM slot, USB-C and E-Port.

• On-site results: In-flight modelling outputs directly on the controller, and Network RTK connects over its Wi-Fi.

• Charging: Use the USB-C port on the 515W Power Adapter or Charging Hub, or a USB PD charger of at least 65 W.

• Compatibility: The RC Plus 3 Enterprise is not compatible with the Matrice 4 Series, Matrice 4D Series, Mavic 3 Enterprise Series, Matrice 3D Series or Matrice 350 RTK. The Matrice 5T does not support Dual Operator Mode.

DJI AS2 Speaker and DJI AL2 Spotlight

The Matrice 5T has its own new speaker and spotlight, the DJI AS2 Speaker and DJI AL2 Spotlight, both exclusive to the aircraft and available separately. Both are more powerful than the DJI AS1 Speaker and DJI AL1 Spotlight used on the Matrice 4 Series and, crucially, they can be fitted together, so teams can light up a scene and broadcast instructions on the same flight.

• AL2 modes: Flood, Spotlight and All lighting modes, plus slow, fast and alternating strobe. The light follows the gimbal by default, or can be fixed in position, and its +90° tilt means it can light directly overhead.

• AS2 broadcasting: Real-time broadcasting with echo and feedback suppression, recordings, imported audio that plays during transfer, and text-to-speech.

• Fitted together, sensing kept: Fit the spotlight first, then the speaker. Because the LiDAR and mmWave radar are built in, you keep that sensing with both fitted. On the Matrice 4T and 4TD, the optional Obstacle Sensing Module cannot be used alongside the speaker or spotlight.

• Performance with accessories: Ascent and descent speeds are unchanged (10 m/s and 8 m/s), with a 4500 m max operating altitude.

• Built for the same conditions: Both are IP55-rated and operate from -20°C to 50°C. Assign their functions to the controller's customisable buttons for quick access.

Fitting accessories affects propulsion performance and flight time, and using the spotlight may affect the vision system. The AS2 and AL2 are not compatible with the Matrice 5TD.

What's new compared with the DJI Matrice 4T?

For a full, section-by-section comparison with in-depth spec tables, including the Matrice 4TD, read our DJI Matrice 5T vs Matrice 4T vs Matrice 4TD blog. Weighing up piloted versus docked operations? See our DJI Matrice 5T vs DJI Matrice 5TD blog.

DJI Care Enterprise Plus included

The Matrice 5T comes with its first year of DJI Care Enterprise Plus free. The service starts when you activate and bind the aircraft in DJI Pilot 2.

• Cover: Free repairs within the coverage limit, water damage cover, flyaway cover (one paid replacement within the year) and free two-way shipping.

• Covered components: The aircraft (including the RTK module), gimbal and camera, battery, propellers, remote controller and charging hub.

• Renewals: Extend cover for years two and three, with years four and five available subject to DJI approval.

Applications for the DJI Matrice 5T

How heliguy™ can help

heliguy™ provides end-to-end support for DJI Matrice 5T operations, from choosing the right setup to training, repairs and ongoing technical assistance.

• UK's only DJI Gold and S-Level Partner: Trusted supply of the DJI Matrice 5T and its accessories.

• Training: CAA-recognised training to get your pilots qualified and mission-ready.

• Repairs and maintenance: Access to our in-house repair centre and accredited technicians.

• UK SORA consultancy: Our in-house regulatory team can help you develop your operational safety case and applications.

• Ongoing support: Lifetime access to heliguy™'s 35+ in-house team throughout your drone programme.

Looking for automated, dock-based operations instead? Read our DJI Dock 4 and Matrice 5TD guide.

Summary: A versatile, all-weather thermal drone

The DJI Matrice 5T brings native 1K thermal, three 50 MP cameras with full-colour night vision, and up to 59 minutes of flight time to a foldable, IP55-rated airframe.

Built-in LiDAR and mmWave radar, O4 Enterprise Enhanced transmission with dual 4G, and the new RC Plus 3 Enterprise support safer operations in challenging conditions. Open edge AI, in-flight modelling and the new AS2 Speaker and AL2 Spotlight help teams act on what they find.

For emergency response and inspection teams that need a capable aircraft they can deploy quickly, the Matrice 5T is a significant step up.

Pre-order the DJI Matrice 5T or contact heliguy™ to find the right setup for your operations.