A new leak of DJI’s mysterious new enterprise Matrice drone has leaked, confirming suspicions that it is a dock version of the Mavic 3 Enterprise Thermal, DJI Matrice 3D.
DJI Matrice 3D
This leak comes from NGDrone on Twitter/X, confirming the name of the upcoming drone and that it uses a new battery. It is also the first close up shots of the drone, and the first pictures of the dock we’ve seen to date.
What this leak tells us
Looking at the photos, the dock and Matrice 3D look to be almost ready to get released, with the dock even having a warning sticker printed on the dock. We won’t go over the information we’ve got from the previous leaks. For that, you can read it here.
Matrice 3D dock
The Matrice 3D’s dock appears to be different from the Matrice 30 dock and smaller in size, which makes sense for the size of the drone. DJI look to have taken a slightly different approach with the design of the dock, allowing it to cradle the Matrice 3D when it’s sat in it, rather than a flat base.
The cover shown in the image appears to hinge towards the front of the dock and houses a camera and light for situational awareness and checking in on the drone as it lands and takes off.
Camera module
Looking at the close-up image of the camera module, we can tell it’s a slimmed down version of the Mavic 3T’s camera, while looking to keep the same sensors and likely the same specs. This small changed could help shave extra weight from the drone to keep it in the air for longer.
Top payload bay
On top of the Matrice 3D, there appears to be a recessed payload bay that is covered with a faceplate. This looks to be a very similar size to the DJI 4G dongle, which would make sense for a drone that lives in a dock in remote areas.
Top mounting points
Additionally, there are four mounting screws on the top of the Matrice 3D. This likely wouldn’t before an additional camera payload, but it would make more sense for it to be used with an optional parachute system or a loudspeaker.
Matrice 3D battery
As we previously thought, Matrice 3D will use a new battery, likely higher capacity and physically larger than the standard Matrice 3 enterprise battery. This larger battery should give the Matrice 3D a longer flight time but could also be to support the additional weight of a payload or accessory mounted to the top mounting screws.
