New Mavic 4 Pro Is A World Beater, For Warriors As Well As Filmmakers
But there is also a huge community of military Mavic users on both sides of the war in Ukraine waiting to get their hands on the new technology too.
Based on the specifications and reviews so far, the Mavic 4 Pro will set a new standard in drone cinematography. It will also make an extremely effective war machine.
DJI, based in Shenzhen, China, insist that their drones are for peaceful use only and have reapteadly condemned their use in warfare. They have banned sales in both Ukraine and Russia.
But DJI commands around 70% of the global consumer drone market for good reason. Their products are world beaters which open affordable drone photography to even the least skilled consumer. Their drones, in particular the Mavic series which fold up small enough to fit in cargo pocket, give every squad their own aerial reconnaissance capability and have been extremely popular with both sides. They regularly top the lists of equipment requested by soldiers.
Russian military blogger Alexey Rogozin stated that the "Mavic (quadcopter) has already become the de facto standard in reconnaissance for the parties to the conflict in Ukraine."
In fact, the name 'Mavic' has become a generic term for battlefield quadcopters, much to DJI's dismay.
Both armies have a small industry devoted to 'hacking' the drones, modifying the firmware to get around limitations imposed by the makers and prevent them from being tracked.
The small drones have transformed artillery fire, by finding hidden targets and enabling commanders to adjust their aim, doing far more damage with fewer rounds.
They are also lethal bombers. Mavics with simple drop hardware rain down grenades on enemy positions with deadly precision, dropping munitions into foxholes and trenches or vehicle hatches.
We have also seen dogfights in which quadcopters take out opposing drones by ramming: the preferred tactic is to approach from above in the enemy's blind spot, so they break their rotors against the attacker's body and plunge to the ground.
More recently, Mavics armed with sawn-off shotgun attachments have taken on the role of interceptors shooting down enemy scouts and bombers.
The new Mavic 4 Pro will be superior to its predecessor for all types of military operation.
The big selling point of the Mavic 4 Pro is its improved optics, with three separate cameras including a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad with a brand new 100MP sensor. Military operators may be more interested in the long-range camera, with a 50MP 1/1.5-inch sensor and a 168mm lens boasting a 'specifically optimized gimbal algorithm tailored for its telephoto optics to deliver unparalleled image quality and stability in long-range aerial photography.' Enthusiastic reviewers say the camera should be great for tracking wildlife and is likely to be equally good for finding elusive targets.
The Mavic 4 Pro also outperforms its predecessor in flight, with a top speed of 56 mph versus 47 mph for the Mavic 3 Pro, and an enhanced battery and battery aerodynamics stretching the flight time from 43 minutes to 51.
The increased speed will translate into greater payload capacity, as well as the ability to choose to intercept or run in a dogfight. The greater endurance is crucial in reconnaissance: when the enemy is a 15-minute flight away, more battery capacity translates directly into more minutes over the target area.
Another new feature is the Infinity Gimbal which gives 360-degree rotation plus the ability to look upwards at a 70-degree angle. Operators can check the blind spot above their drone in a way that was impossible with earlier versions and will change dogfight tactics.
When the U.S. Army was looking for tactical reconnaissance quadcopters for its Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) role, it specified two new features which did not then exist: night time obstacle avoidance, and advanced autonomy features. The Mavic 4 Pro delivers both.
The new drone has LIDAR obstacle avoidance as well as six omnidirectional fisheye sensors that work in low light equivalent to full moonlight. One reviewer found the Mavic 4 Pro had no trouble flying around trees and buildings that would have been risky with the earlier model. Because LIDAR does not rely on visible light, obstacle avoidance works in the dark.
The Mavic 4 Pro has what the makers call 'intelligent autonomy'. This includes an advanced return-to-home function: the drone builds a visual map of its outbound route which it can follow even if GPS is lost. It can negotiate complex return paths through urban terrain on its own, a capability which one reviewer tested and found 'truly remarkable."
'360° gimbal and LiDAR obstacle sensing blew my mind,' wrote T3's reviewer, giving it five stars and a platinum award..
The ActiveTrack function has also been upgraded. This allows the operator to lock on to a subject for hands-free operation, so solo filmmakers can shoot themselves skiing or biking or climbing. The drone can now keep tracking even when the subject disappears behind an object and follow while avoiding obstacles.
'The Mavic 4 Pro stayed locked on a car driving at up to 30 mph with full obstacle avoidance,' noted Engadget. 'When filming the bike rider, the Mavic 4 Pro chose interesting and random routes around trees that often yielded cinematic greatness.'
While the new drone may be an upgrade, it will also bring issues for military users. A whole infrastructure of both software and hardware support has grown up around the existing models. The Russian Firmware 1001 hack had already been through 46 versions in 2024, and extensive work will be needed to update this for the new drone. New repair shop equipment and spare parts supply chains will be needed to keep the new drones flying.
One Russian blogger complained that they had 'fallen into the trap' of becoming reliant on the Mavic 3 and complained about Russia's continuing inability to produce anything to rival it.
The new drone is available from DJI for $2,500 in Europe but is not being sold in the United States. This is not just because of tariff uncertainties for China but also because of ongoing political tensions. Drone blogger Sally French aka The Drone Girl suggests that we are now entering a 'Drone Cold War' which will see the U.S. cut off from Chinese drones and components.
Like the Russians and Ukrainians, American drone users may need to see agents in third parties to get hold of the hottest thing in drone hardware.
There products may be used in wars, but DJI shows no intention of ever producing actual military hardware. If they did, there is no doubt that the giant company could produce extremely capable and increasingly autonomous drones by the million. A Drone Cold War is one thing, a real drone war with China might be something else.
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