DJI unveils Matrice 5T drone for nighttime rescue operations

DJI has launched the Matrice 5T drone for search-and-rescue operations in the dark and in severe weather conditions. The model is designed for emergency response teams, crews working in disaster areas, and infrastructure inspectors. The drone combines thermal imaging, night-vision cameras, radar, and artificial intelligence in a single system. The Matrice 5T is already available from authorized DJI Enterprise dealers.

One of the drone’s key advantages is its 1K thermal camera with a resolution of 1,280 x 1,024. The sensor displays 4 times as many pixels as standard 640 x 512 modules. This helps detect faint heat signatures in cold areas or beneath rubble. In ultra-high-resolution mode, the image size reaches 2,560 x 2,048, making heat sources against complex backgrounds more clearly visible.

The wide-angle camera can capture color images in 0.01 lux lighting, meaning almost complete darkness. The telephoto camera, operating in black-and-white night-vision mode, can read a vehicle’s license plate from 400 meters away using 176x hybrid zoom. The 50 MP medium telephoto camera is intended for inspecting equipment from 10 meters away.

For safe low-altitude flight, the drone features omnidirectional cameras that operate in low light, LiDAR, and millimeter-wave radar. LiDAR measures distance using lasers and detects thin power lines from 32 meters away at night. The radar identifies obstacles in dense fog, heavy rain, and dust. If the GPS signal is lost, the drone creates a real-time map of the area using camera and radar data.

The artificial intelligence running onboard the drone analyzes thermal and standard video simultaneously and recognizes more than 20 types of objects. These include people, vehicles, and boats. In the FlightHub 2 and DJI Pilot 2 applications, users can assign tasks using text or upload a reference image. The O4 Enterprise communication system operates at distances of up to 40 kilometers. Cellular network modules and other drones also help relay the signal.

The Matrice 5T can remain airborne for up to 59 minutes. Its IP55 rating allows the drone to operate in dusty conditions and heavy rain. The model operates at temperatures from −20°C to 50°C. The drone can take off from and land on the deck of a moving ship. The flight termination module cuts power to the propellers at the pilot’s command or automatically when a boundary is breached.

Using DJI Terra, the drone processes 200 photographs in just 8 minutes. The result is a 2.5D terrain model showing elevation differences or a spatial map. No additional ground control points need to be installed for this. The system can automatically create inspection routes along bridges and solar panels. Photos and videos are shared only with the user’s permission. Data is encrypted using the AES-256 standard, and the system has ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications.