Adam Quinn, Greyman OPS · 13/09/2025 · Originally shared on LinkedIn [DRAFT — not published]
September 2025 brought a very busy few weeks of surveys across NSW and Queensland, and the DJI Matrice 400 earned its keep.
Why the Matrice 400
With close to 60 minutes of flight time, the Matrice 400 is extremely efficient and productive. Fewer battery changes means more ground covered on every sortie. Paired with the Zenmuse H30T payload, we have been very happy with the resolution of the thermal imagery we are capturing.
Planning thermal missions in FlightHub 2
DJI FlightHub 2 can be used to build thermal flight missions for the Matrice 400. Planning the mission in advance means repeatable flight paths, consistent coverage and data you can compare from one survey to the next.
Night operations
Night operations on our Remote Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) enhance our capability for wildlife and animal monitoring. Animals show up clearly against a cool background at night, and it helps us avoid the sunburn too. We fly at night for invasive species surveys with thermal drones, thermal cattle stocktakes, and support for wildlife control programs.
Power in the field
A bigger aircraft brings bigger batteries: the Matrice 400 needs around 2,600 W to charge them. We have been impressed with portable power stations in the field, which keep the batteries, laptops and other gear charged without a noisy generator.
What we use it for
- Feral pig and feral deer surveys before aerial control programs
- Livestock and wildlife monitoring
- Agricultural and biosecurity surveillance
How could thermal drones help on your property or site? Get in touch to talk through a survey.
Sources: Personal post, 13/09/2025 (FlightHub 2) (no permalink captured); Personal post, 13/09/2025 (surveys) (no permalink captured); Personal post, 27/02/2026 (no permalink captured).