This DJI drone can take off, land from moving ships

In the world of enterprise drones, DJI’s Matrice 400 has already established itself as a rugged, long-endurance powerhouse. Equipped for energy-infrastructure inspection, search-and-rescue, mapping, and more, the real game-changer has arrived now: a firmware update that unlocks fully automated takeoff and landing from moving ships.

With the latest firmware — Aircraft: v14.01.09.06, Remote Controller: v01.64.05.23, and DJI Pilot 2 App (Android): v14.1.9.8 — the Matrice 400 gains the ability to autonomously take off from a moving ship’s deck and land precisely on it. Relying on onboard vision systems that detect designated markers, this feature promises to revolutionize offshore missions by making them faster, safer, and more efficient.

A streamlined tutorial video walks operators through the workflow: place a dark-colored landing marker (minimum 3 × 3 m) on the deck, enable “Boat Launch Mode,” take off and climb to 20 m, then engage RTH upon return. When the drone recognizes the landing marker with vision assist activated, pilots simply tap the C1 button to initiate auto-landing. If detection fails, the drone ascends to a safe altitude and retries — complete with voice and pop-up alerts.

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The DJI Matrice 400 has already carved out its spot as a rugged enterprise flagship, boasting up to 59 minutes of flight time, a 6 kg payload capacity with support for seven mounts, and next-gen sensing systems that use LiDAR, mmWave radar, and low-light fisheye cameras to detect even power lines in fog or darkness. Add to that an O4 Enterprise Enhanced transmission system with ranges up to 40 km, airborne relay support, and a full suite of intelligent flight modes — from terrain follow and SmartTrack to AR overlays and advanced detection — plus an IP55 weather-resistant frame built to handle temperatures from −20 °C to 50 °C, and you get a drone designed to push boundaries in inspection, mapping, search-and-rescue, and now, offshore operations.

Offshore missions — think maritime patrol, offshore wind turbine inspection, coastal surveillance, or ship-based asset monitoring — can be mission-critical yet operationally complex. Previously, launch and recovery relied heavily on manual piloting or precarious grabs from moving decks. Now, with auto takeoff/landing, the Matrice 400 reduces human error, speeds turnaround, and delivers smoother offshore workflows, all while keeping pilots safely onshore or at a distance.

The new firmware update also integrates seamlessly with DJI’s suite: D-RTK stations, Intelligent Battery Station (BS100), Zenmuse payloads (H30, H30T, P1, L2, S1, V1), and transport platforms like the X-Port and Skyport. firmware upgrades via DJI Assistant 2 and the Pilot 2 app ensure the system stays current across aircraft, controller, and accessory modules. See complete release notes here.

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