DJI just dropped a serious upgrade for mapping professionals, and it’s not a drone this time. Meet the Zenmuse L3, DJI’s first long-range, high-accuracy aerial LiDAR system that’s designed to take geospatial mapping and surveying to a whole new level.

The DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise promises survey-grade precision and professional versatility, but not every upgrade translates into a better user experience. After a year of real-world use, I found that DJI’s fine-tuned design choices reveal both brilliance and frustration in equal measure. Here’s what new pilots and seasoned pros alike should know before investing in the enterprise lineup.

If you fly a DJI drone in the United States for professional purposes, buckle up: the Federal Aviation Administration’s new draft rule, FAA Part 108, could dramatically alter the way you operate. On paper, Part 108 is meant to finally normalize routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights at scale, a move many in the drone industry have been waiting for years. But as written, it could shut out much of the existing DJI fleet, or any other non-US-made drone that American pilots actually use every day.

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.

FlytBase is hitting the fast lane of drone autonomy with an ambitious plan: 14 major product updates unveiled over 14 straight days. The California-based software company announced the initiative on August 18, calling it “moving at AI speed.”

DJI has dropped a new teaser for a product launch scheduled for July 17 at 8 a.m. EDT, and it’s geared toward the drone mapping community. The tagline? “Make the World Your Digital Asset.” The teaser video features a swirling cloud of 3D data points, aka point clouds, transforming into a majestic Japanese castle.

Swiss drone maker Wingtra has launched its most advanced surveying drone yet, the WingtraRAY, designed to eliminate the delays, limitations, and complexity that surveyors routinely face. From faster data collection to legal flights over people in the US, without waivers, WingtraRAY promises to speed up and simplify every step of the survey workflow.

In a major step toward meeting the growing demands of privacy-focused industries, DJI has officially released FlightHub 2 On-Premises, a self-hosted version of its powerful drone operations platform that puts data control directly into the hands of enterprise users.

Singapore-based Volarious has launched the V-Line Pro, a tethered drone power system tailor-made for the new DJI Matrice 400 (M400), extending flight times and boosting operational uptime for enterprise users. Developed in close collaboration with DJI, the V-Line Pro integrates tightly with the drone’s systems and interface.

It seems like DJI is having a little fire sale on its purchases of Raw Licenses for its Ronin 4D cinema camera but now apparently also for its Inspire 3 drone. You can now get either for just $1. But why? And why do you even need to purchase this license, and should you?

Percepto, a company known for its autonomous inspection tech, has launched an AI-powered emission detector that allows remote, drone-based methane surveying at scale. Already being used in major oil-producing regions across the US, this new system could make emissions tracking faster, easier, and more cost-effective for energy operators.

DJI has given its newest enterprise drone, the Matrice 400, a massive upgrade — not in size, but in brainpower. Released alongside the drone is Manifold 3, a compact yet powerful onboard computer that brings AI processing, developer flexibility, and even smartphone-like app installation directly to DJI’s latest flying platform.

DJI’s latest enterprise drone is designed to tackle everything from power line inspections to emergency rescues, with 59-minute flights, smarter obstacle sensing, and support for up to 7 payloads.

American drone manufacturer Skyfish has commercially released its new enterprise drone, Osprey — a sleek, survey-grade machine packed with power, portability, and ambition to replace DJI in the skies.

With the release of the Mavic 4 Pro behind us—sorry, US pilots, I feel your pain too—we’re already wondering: what’s next for DJI? Well, an FCC filing and one of our favorite leakers could show us the way.

Notorious DJI leaker OsitaLV shared with us this week a new concept sketch of what he thinks the Inspire 4 will be. The craziest of camera drones DJI creates, the Inspire line doesn’t hold back on features, and the price tag shows it.

DJI is pushing the limits of autonomous drone safety with its latest firmware update for the DJI Dock 3 and Matrice 4D series. This update introduces a new accessory: a LiDAR-based Obstacle Sensing Module that helps DJI drones avoid even the thinnest hazards in flight — including wires just 12 millimeters thick.

In a new blog post, DJI shared how DJI’s Dock drone-in-a-box system served as a “blueprint” for future citywide disaster response. Another reason how drones are doing the world good, saving lives, and keeping communities safe.

A Silicon Valley drone startup just stepped out of stealth mode — and it’s coming straight for DJI’s throne.

DJI released its latest industry report on the state of DJI drone use in the agricultural industry. The study, which is paid for by DJI, shows that nearly 400,000 DJI agricultural drones were used at the end of 2024, a 90% increase from its first study in 2020.

Drone autonomy software specialist FlytBase has launched a subscription plan that promises to help businesses scale their drone operations effortlessly. FlytBase Pro, an enterprise-grade platform, is now available for just $99 a month.

It’s the end of an era for two legendary drones. DJI has announced that starting June 1, 2025, it will officially suspend service and support for the Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Advanced models — two of the company’s most iconic flying machines.

Tech giant DJI has unveiled version 4.5.0 of its flagship drone mapping software, DJI Terra, introducing a suite of enhancements to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability of aerial data processing.

In a major tech upgrade for emergency response teams, SkyeBrowse and Paladin have partnered to bring real-time 3D modeling to Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs — eliminating delays and giving first responders eyes on the scene before they arrive.