The DJI Matrice 30T has been discontinued and is no longer in production. For a lot of fire departments, police teams and search-and-rescue crews, that's unwelcome news: the 30T earned its place because it kept flying when the weather turned. We still get calls and chats every week from agencies looking for one.
Here's what we recommend instead, and why.
The short answer
1. Matrice 4TD is the closest replacement: the same IP55 weather sealing and wind rating, longer flights, newer cameras.
2. Matrice 4T if you mostly fly in fair weather and want to spend less.
3. Matrice 400 if you need a bigger platform: heavier payloads, longer missions, swappable sensors.
Why agencies chose the 30T
The 30T put thermal, zoom, wide and a laser rangefinder in one foldable airframe, and it was IP55 rated: protected against dust and water jets, with an operating range of -4° to 122°F and a 12 m/s (27 mph) wind rating. For public safety work, that matters more than any single camera spec. Calls don't wait for good weather.
So the question isn't "what's the newest thermal drone?" It's "what will keep flying in the same conditions?"
1. The Matrice 4TD: the 30T's real successor
The Matrice 4TD is often described as "the dock drone," because it's built to live in a DJI Dock 3. But it also flies on its own with the DJI RC Plus 2 Enterprise controller, and that's what makes it the best replacement for the 30T. Because it's designed to launch from an outdoor dock in any conditions, it carries the same IP55 rating as the 30T: it shares the 30T's toughness, not just its sensors.
- IP55, the same rating as the 30T.
- 12 m/s (27 mph) wind rating in flight and at takeoff and landing.
- -4° to 122°F operating range, the same as the 30T.
- Up to 54 minutes of flight, against the 30T's 41.
- Thermal at 640×512, or 1280×1024 in UHR mode, plus 48 MP wide, medium tele and tele cameras (up to 112× hybrid zoom).
- Laser rangefinder to 1,800 m (the 30T's reached 1,200 m) and an NIR auxiliary light for night work.
- Dock-ready: when your program is ready for drone-in-a-box response, the same aircraft moves into a Dock 3.
What's different from the 30T: it's a smaller, lighter aircraft, so it's easier to carry and deploy. It uses its own batteries and the RC Plus 2 Enterprise controller, so 30T batteries and accessories don't carry over. Plan on new batteries, a charging hub and a controller as part of the switch.
For most agencies, the easiest way in is our Matrice 4TD Public Safety Bundle: the drone with a spotlight, speaker and field monitor, ready for night searches and scene work. Prefer to build your own kit? The Matrice 4TD is also available on its own.
2. The Matrice 4T: if you mostly fly in fair weather
The Matrice 4T is the handheld member of the same family: the same thermal, wide and tele camera system, the same 1,800 m rangefinder, and up to 49 minutes of flight, in a lighter, lower-cost package.
The trade-off is weather. The 4T has no IP rating, its 12 m/s wind rating applies to takeoff and landing, and it's rated for 14° to 104°F. That's fine for teams that fly in dry, mild conditions and can stand down when it rains, and it's an excellent drone for the money. But if the reason you wanted a 30T was flying in bad weather, choose the 4TD.
Shop the Matrice 4T or the Matrice 4T Public Safety Bundle.
3. The Matrice 400: when you need something bigger
Some 30T users were already pushing past what a compact drone can do. The Matrice 400 is DJI's flagship platform: IP55, up to 59 minutes of flight (with a Zenmuse H30T), a 6 kg payload capacity, and up to 40 km transmission range (FCC). Instead of a fixed camera, you mount the payload the mission needs, such as a Zenmuse H30T for thermal or a lidar sensor for mapping, and you can carry more than one at a time.
It's a bigger aircraft and a bigger investment. Choose it for long-endurance missions, heavy or multiple payloads, or mapping and inspection alongside public safety work. Shop the Matrice 400.
Side by side
| Matrice 30T (discontinued) | Matrice 4TD | Matrice 4T | Matrice 400 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather sealing | IP55 | IP55 | Not rated | IP55 |
| Wind rating | 12 m/s (27 mph) | 12 m/s in flight and at takeoff/landing | 12 m/s at takeoff/landing | 12 m/s at takeoff/landing |
| Operating temperature | -4° to 122°F | -4° to 122°F | 14° to 104°F | -4° to 122°F |
| Max flight time | 41 min | 54 min | 49 min | 59 min (with H30T) |
| Thermal | 640×512 (1280×1024 super-res) | 640×512 (1280×1024 UHR) | 640×512 (1280×1024 super-res) | Payload, e.g. Zenmuse H30T |
| Laser rangefinder | Up to 1,200 m | Up to 1,800 m | Up to 1,800 m | Payload dependent |
| Best for | — | All-weather public safety | Fair-weather teams, tighter budgets | Heavy payloads, long missions |
Specs from DJI's published spec sheets. Flight times are DJI lab figures in no wind; real-world times are shorter.
Already flying a 30T?
Your drone doesn't stop working because production ended. Keep flying it, and keep its batteries healthy. We carry TB30 batteries and parts when we can source them, and we're happy to track down what you need.
When you're ready to add aircraft or replace a worn one, you can bring 4TDs in alongside your existing 30Ts and phase the switch over a budget cycle rather than replacing everything at once.
Buying for an agency?
Tell us how your team flies (weather, mission types, night work, how many pilots) and we'll put together a formal quote for the right kit, ready for your procurement process.
Shop the Matrice 4TD Public Safety Bundle → Get a quote →
Specifications are taken from DJI's published spec sheets for each model at the time of writing and may change. Ratings such as IP55 can decline with long-term use.
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