There is a misconception in the public that drones are small, dainty devices that can barely carry themselves let alone a payload. This misconception sees all drones as only the cheapest ones on the market with no real use outside of recreational flying as a gimmick.

The truth is that certain companies have been endlessly innovating in the space to create drones that are capable of feats simply unheard of just a few years ago when it comes to capabilities, with one of those companies being DJI.

DJI enterprise, with its focus on tackling the toughest drone jobs in business and government, has the Matrice 300 RTK platform as the crown jewel of its line up and, once you look at its numbers, you’ll know why.

Of those impressive numbers the nine kilograms of max take off weight stands as one of the more impressive feats. While other drones measure this figure in grams, the DJI Matrice 300 RTK arrives with several kilograms instead.

Despite this carrying capacity the DJI Matrice 300 RTK is absolutely no slouch. The max ascent speed of six metres per second means that this heavyweight is light on its feat and can get into the action in a moment’s notice. And if taking off quickly isn’t enough, the max speed of 23 metres per second is equally, if not more, impressive.

Big payloads and massive speed doesn’t come with a sacrifice to flight time either, with the DJI Matrice 300 RTK able to stay airborne for up to 55 minutes. With smartly-engineered battery solutions such as self-heating hot-swappable TB60 Intelligent Flight Battery, and accessories like the eight battery Battery Station, you can be sure that this drone can last however long the mission requires.

With so much capability the DJI Matrice 300 RTK really is a flying platform ready to be customised to your needs. In the video above you can see it paired with the fantastic Zenmuse H20 Series camera which offers a 20 MP Zoom Camera, 12 MP Wide Camera and integrated laser rangefinder (LRF) able to pick up targets up to 1.2 kilometres away. And again we see other drones measuring similar distances in just metres while the Zendmuse Series goes further than a kilometre.

Zenmuse also has thermal imagery covered in the form of the H20T which adds a 640 X 512 Radiometric Thermal Camera into the mix. DJI enterprise has seen success with similar drone plus thermal camera setups in the past, with one notable case study highlighting the success at a ski resort for safety inspections and emergency rescue.

While South Africa isn’t known for its snow, inspections and emergency management are of particular importance, especially as the country heads into a cold winter worsened by loadshedding.

There is also a lidar option in the Zenmuse L1, aerial surveying with the Zenmuse P1 and countless third party options to create a unique payload for your DJI Matrice 300 RTK.

Thankfully there is ample help for your drone and payload needs thanks to the various DJI enterprise partners in South Africa who are all available to assist you with their contact details below:

• Hennie’s Drone Repair and Training orders[at]hdrt[dot]co[dot]za,
• TeleEye jacques[at]GoUAV[dot]co[dot]za,
• Africa Drone Kings vice[at]africadronekings[dot]co[dot]za.