DJI Dock 4 and Matrice 5TD Launched: Battery Swapping Comes to Drone-in-a-Box

DJI has launched Dock 4, its first drone dock with automatic battery swapping, together with a brand new aircraft, the Matrice 5TD. Instead of waiting for the drone to recharge between flights, Dock 4 swaps in a fresh battery in under 25 seconds, so a single dock can keep a drone working around the clock.

As a supplier of DJI Enterprise drones, we've been looking closely at what's changed. Here's our round-up of the key features, the specs that matter and who it's for.

Why battery swapping matters

Earlier docks, including DJI Dock 3, charge the drone's battery inside the dock after each flight. That works well, but it means a gap between missions while the battery tops up.

Dock 4 removes that gap. It stores up to three batteries, swaps one into the drone in under 25 seconds and can have the aircraft back in the air in under 45 seconds. Spare batteries charge from 15% to 95% in around 27 minutes while the drone is flying.

For police forces, fire services and security teams running drone as first responder (DFR) programmes, that's the difference between "we'll launch when it's charged" and "it's already on its way". Even if the mains power drops, Dock 4 can still swap and take off as long as it has two or more charged batteries.

DJI Dock 4 at a glance

• Battery swap: under 25 seconds, with turnaround in under 45 seconds
• Battery storage: up to three batteries
• Charging: about 27 minutes per battery (15% to 95% at 25°C)
• Operating radius: 10 km
• Weather proofing: IP56, working from -40°C to 50°C
• Max landing wind speed: 12 m/s
• Weight: 66 kg (without batteries or aircraft)
• Size: 639 × 640 × 836 mm with the cover closed
• Transmission: DJI O4 Enterprise Enhanced, with the DJI O4 Ground Station for complex sites

Meet the Matrice 5TD

The Matrice 5TD is the aircraft that lives inside Dock 4, and it's a big step up from the Matrice 4TD that pairs with Dock 3.

• Up to 59 minutes of flight time, compared with 54 minutes on the Matrice 4TD
• Three 50 MP cameras: wide-angle, medium tele (3x) and tele, with up to 176x hybrid zoom
• Full-colour night vision from the tele camera's RYYB sensor, plus a near-infrared illuminator for low-light work
• 1280 × 1024 thermal camera, double the resolution of the Matrice 4TD, with a 2560 × 2048 super resolution mode
• 3 km laser rangefinder for accurate target positioning, up from 1.8 km
• Built-in obstacle sensing using vision, LiDAR, 3D infrared and mmWave radar
• AI recognition of 17 target types, including people, vehicles, smoke and fire
• Up to 21 m/s when flying to an incident, so it can arrive ahead of ground crews
• IP55 rated and able to fly from -40°C to 50°C, so it's ready for the coldest UK winter nights

Built with UK safety rules in mind

For UK and EU customers, the Matrice 5TD comes with the AP1 parachute fitted as standard and an independent flight termination system that's separate from the flight controller. DJI presents both as supporting the risk mitigations used in BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) applications.

That doesn't replace the paperwork. BVLOS operations in the UK still need a CAA Operational Authorisation backed by a risk assessment, but having these features built in makes that process more straightforward.

FlightHub 2 gets smarter too

Dock 4 is managed through DJI FlightHub 2, where teams can plan missions, watch live video and manage aircraft and data in one place. New AI tools help create flight routes and set up workflows, and an open API with more than 200 endpoints lets the system connect to control room and third-party software. For organisations that need their data to stay in-house, FlightHub 2 is also available on-premises.

Who is Dock 4 for?

Dock 4 is designed for organisations that need a drone ready to go at a moment's notice, often in places where it isn't practical to send a pilot first:

• Police, fire and search and rescue teams running DFR programmes
• Security teams protecting large or remote sites
• Utilities, rail and energy companies inspecting infrastructure
• Ports, airports and other critical sites
• Environmental monitoring and local authorities

Already running DJI Dock 3?

There's no need to rush. Dock 3 with the Matrice 4D or 4TD remains a capable system, and we continue to support it. Dock 4 makes most sense where you need continuous cover, faster relaunches, sharper thermal detail or operation in very cold conditions.

How Blink Web can help

A dock is only as good as its installation. We supply DJI Enterprise systems and look after the parts that often get overlooked: site surveys, mounting and power, 4G or fibre connectivity, secure network access and FlightHub 2 set-up. As cyber security and two-way radio specialists too, we make sure your drones, docks, software and communications work together from day one.

Interested in DJI Dock 4 or the Matrice 5TD? Visit our DJI Enterprise drones page or call us on 03303 410 910 to talk through your project.

We supply DJI Enterprise systems to businesses, public sector organisations and emergency services only. Specifications are DJI's published figures. Images: DJI.