DJI Matrice 5T launches globally with LiDAR, mmWave radar, 176× zoom and 59-min flight time

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DJI has launched a new lightweight industrial drone that packs features you usually only find on much bigger machines. The Matrice 5T is being positioned as their all-scenario compact flagship, and it’s foldable, easy to carry, and ready to fly in about 10 seconds.

For the first time, DJI has made LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, and a full-color omnidirectional visual system standard on a lightweight industrial drone. The three work together: LiDAR can spot thin obstacles like power lines from up to 32 meters even in low light, the millimeter-wave radar keeps working in fog, dust, rain or snow, and the low-light fisheye cameras can still position the drone down to 0.5 lux. That’s a big step for smaller platforms that used to struggle in tough conditions.

The camera system is no joke either. There’s a native 1K (1280×1024) thermal imager. Alongside that you get multi-focal-length visible cameras (wide, mid-tele and telephoto) that can shoot full color in as low as 0.01 lux on the wide lens, plus 11× optical zoom and hybrid zoom up to 176×. Laser ranging goes out to 3,000 meters, helped by near-infrared illumination and dual-light fusion.

Flight performance is solid too. You’re looking at up to 59 minutes of flight time, an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance, and an operating range from –20°C to 50°C. The motors put out nearly twice the single-axis pulling force of the Matrice 4T, and the new biomimetic propellers keep noise under 80 dB(A). Transmission comes via the new O4 Enterprise system, dual 4G modules, and airborne relay support, so you can get reliable video out to about 40 km.

On the smart side, the drone can already recognize more than 20 different target types and run parallel visible/infrared analysis to quickly pick out vehicles, ships or fire points. DJI is clearly aiming this at emergency response, power-line inspection, surveying, public safety and similar jobs.

Price and availability

The Matrice 5T launched on November 5, 2026 and is available now through authorized DJI Enterprise dealers worldwide. In mainland China the official price is 57,488 yuan (~$8,600). Outside China, DJI has not published a single global MSRP. Pricing is set by local authorized dealers and varies by region and package.

Early listings from official partners put it at roughly €8,600. First shipments in some markets are expected later in November.

(Source: DJI)