For broadacre work, The DJI T50 can cover up to 17 ha (42 acres) of cotton per hour (at 20L per ha application rate (one drone). 130 ha per day is a good day. These are real world achievements cited from our own cotton farming customers in QLD and validated on-site. Expect particularly good results with fungicide, foliar, micros and insecticide. The spreader/hopper results are particularly outstanding as well.
For spot spraying, compared to a quick spray, you should expect to be roughly twice as efficient and be using 10%-50% less chemical to get the same kill rate (spray drones are famous for their efficacy because they have the advantage of their big rotors pushing droplets down, and circulating them throughout the target. So if an area normally takes you 4 days with a quick spray, you will do it in 2 days with the drone, and will be using less chemical and working less hard – as you’re more efficient and not walking up and down steep hills with a hose. Even with a motorised reel on a quick spray, it’s still relatively hard work.
In some cases we have found that spot spraying on extremely rough terrain can be a lot quicker than traditional ground application. An area of 20ha may yield 5ha of target weed like blackberry. Using drones we can map this area so we only spray the target plant, and we would cover that area (even in very complex and difficult terrain) in 5 to 7 hr. Using a hand spray on the same terrain, we tested a contractor and they took 4 to 5 days (two loads a day due to high travel for refill).
Compared to a helicopter , you will see far more spray control/precision is possible. The automated systems on a drone allow for very accurate (down to 10mm) GPS positioning, This means no stripping due to spray run positioning. The low operational height of the drone also allows for better droplet control over traditional aerial application. Droplets are retained in the rotor wash and pushed onto the target. Fly your DJI T50 over the weeds - its rotors will drive the chemical down from above the centre of the target weed section, and quickly move on to the next section. You can even pre-map the area, shade in the sections of weed over the map (with your computer mouse), save it as a prescription map, and the T50 will autonomously go out and saturate each patch of weeds on its own.
How to compare a spray drone with an self-propelled (SP) sprayer
Whilst productivity has come a long way with the DJI T50, you still need multiple drones to cover what an SP sprayer can do in a day. Let’s say you’re doing 500 ha a day with your SP sprayer. You might need 4x T50 drones to do the same, but it’s important to note an SP sprayer costs about 20x as much ($800k or more), requires a lot more maintenance, and can’t operate on soft (wet) ground. So whilst a T50 is not an SP sprayer, it punches way above its weight considering its size, cost, and versatility. Not to mention its modular design, uncomplicated maintenance program, low cost of parts, no diesel expense, and much more efficient use of inputs.
Keep in mind, operating one or more spray drones requires battery changes and liquid/granular refills as a steady workflow as you’re going. You’re not sitting in the cab of an SP sprayer, however the largest integrated, not-for-profit medical group practice in the world suggests this may not be good for you.
We have many customers who choose to have an extra person (2 people) licensed and trained up. This is good for staff/operational redundancy, good for general information sharing as a team during the drone learning curve. Customers frequently comment that their drone purchase has helped them and other family members stay passionate about being on the property by way of using interesting technology to achieve more efficient ways of doing things.
Almost all our customers comment on the simple availability of the drone being such an asset – they can go and spray any time day or night , especially useful when your weather window closes in , or when contractors are unavailable / booked out.
The T100 is coming next and is expected to be doing 225 ha per day. If you run 4 of them that’s 900 ha per day – this new T100 will really push spray drones into broadacre farming.
Have you ever been unable to get your trail rig over ground, because it's too wet, too rough or any other access issues? Ever wished your self propelled sprayer could push more product into the target, operate over soft/wet country, cause no compaction, need no diesel, require hardly any maintenance, and be more efficient with both chemical and water rates?
Spray drones allow spraying in any ground condition, if there is air above - it can spray it. The rotor wash on drones also provides a mixing effect, making your chemical more effective than traditional methods.
For graziers, ever wished you could spray your weeds more easily, accurately target only the weeds and get to the areas you could never do with a Quick Spray / spot spray unit (steep, rocky, gullies, etc)? The DJI T50 makes it easy to hit more of your weeds (e.g. blackberry, tussock, St. johns wart, lantana) and increase your grazable land.
See Farm Futures article: “Ag drone use soars as farmers see results” , May 6, 2025.
2-min video: see the high flow rate and penetration a DJI T50 can deliver (showing with T50 Atomized Sprinkler Package ($1090.0 fitted).
5 things our customers (growers and graziers) say they like most about the DJI T50
Availability: By having a T50 yourself, you can spray/spread anytime, day or night in a moment's notice. Taking advantage of seasonal conditions and reducing yield loss while you wait for a contractor.
Efficacy: The drones' propellers sit typically just 3-4m off the ground, pushing the droplets down and circulating them to get more liquid on-target. This increases active chemical contact to the target, allowing under leaf and stem contact.
No ground compaction or crop knock down ,meaning no yield loss & no machine wear from ground impacts.
Accuracy and precise spray control: Spray drones can get into areas you've never felt safe taking your tractor into: steep, gullies, fence lines etc. RTK operation allows for GPS positioning that is accurate to 10mm.
Chemical safety: spraying via drone allows you to stand back at a distance meaning reduced risk of chemical exposure.
Are you interested in advancing your drone technology skills? Drones for Hire provides the DJI T40/T50/T100 Type Rating Certification, designed for current Multi Rotor RePL holders. With this certification, you gain the ability to operate your personal T40 drone on your property. If you plan to extend your flying activities to other properties, consider obtaining an additional ReOC license in conjunction with your type rating certification.
FAQs’
Q1: Can I fly my T40/T50/T100 drone anywhere with the type rating?
A1: The DJI T40/T50/T100 type rating certification allows you to operate your T40/T50/T100 drone on your property. However, if you intend to fly on other properties, you may need to obtain an additional ReOC license.
Q2: Can I fly any large drone with the type rating?
A2: No, the type rating is specific to the DJI T40/T50/T100 drone and does not grant permission to operate drones over RePL standards. Different certifications or licenses are required for larger drones.
Q3: How long does it take to complete the type rating certification?
A3: The duration to complete the DJI T40/T50/T100 type rating certification varies based on prior experience. If you are familiar with DJI products, such as the T30, the endorsement can take just a few hours. However, for those less experienced, it typically involves training courses and assessments, spanning several days to weeks.
Q4: What are the prerequisites?
A4: To obtain the DJI T40/T50/T100 type rating certification, you typically need to hold a Multi Rotor RePL (Remote Pilot License) and fulfill any additional qualifications specified by relevant authorities.
Q5: How much does it cost?
A5: The cost of obtaining the DJI T40/T50/T100 type rating certification varies, but it's generally around $1300. If you get it with a T40/T50/T100 drone get $300 off your purchase.
Q6: Does it expire?
A6: The DJI T40/T50/T100 type rating certification does not expire.
Q7: What should I expect during the training?
A7: During DJI T40/T50/T100 Type Rating Certification training, you can expect to learn the following:
- Comprehensive instruction on the operation of the DJI T40/T50/T100 drone.
- Training on the maintenance and care of the drone.
- Practical hands-on experience in flying the DJI T40/T50/T100.
- Guidance on safety protocols and regulations.
- Evaluation through assessments or exams to ensure competency.
Choose The M4E for fast and high quality mapping / survey work, 3D modelling and detailed asset inspection that doesn’t require thermal imaging.
Choose The M4T for animal spotting, search and rescue (SES, RFS, police), and asset inspection – particularly when temperature measurement is useful (the T stands for Thermal) such as powerlines, solar farms, utilities.
11 features that are common to both drones
1.
Telephoto camera (RGB) for zooming in from a distance if it’s not possible to fly near the object of interest. (equivalent 168mm lens).
2.
Medium lens (RGB) for close up high-res images of assets (equivalent 70mm lens) - great for when you can fly the drone up relatively close to the object.
3.
Laser range finder , providing distance measurements up to 1.8km away , and GPS coordinates of e.g. a crack on a bridge that needs attention or a lost hiker.
4.
World class controller (RC): The RC Plus 2 controller has a large 7.02 inch and bright 1400 nits screen for a big clear view of what the drone sees and map view at all times. Ocusync 4 (O4 Enterprise) for very strong and long rage connection between the controller and drone. One of DJIs most famous advantages, in the DJI ecosystem.
5.
Built in AI for object detection of e.g. cows, or cracks in a section of road. Also capability to mark out an area on the on-screen map and calculate the square meters area or volume in cubic meters.
6.
An RTK module that comes standard (integrated from the factory) . With the predecessor drones (M3E and M3T), this was a $1,100.0 optional add-on.
7.
12km range! Its true capability is even 25km (FCC) but this is capped to 12 by the (CE) standard used in Australia. In addition to the 04 Enterprise advantage (point 4 above), Both 4T and 4E aircraft also have 8 transmission antennas which are adaptive (can switch on and off as needed) and feature.
8.
No licence needed: the M4E/T aircraft is 1430 grams MTOW (Max Take off Weight) - well under 2kg meaning you can fly it without the need for a CASA drone licence (RePL) or certification.
9.
49min flight time. This is the absolute max in a windless environment, we suggest 44 mins is a more realistic expectation to plan your missions off.
10.
Outstanding Obstacle sensing: Both aircraft have an omnidirectional binocular vision system, supplemented with a 3D infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft.
11.
These optional add-ons
A new louder speaker , audible from 300m. For e.g. communicating with a lost hiker, or scaring birds away from a vineyard.
A new spotlight , (AL1) 100m range, either always on or strobe function, it moves in sync with camera movements so the target object is always lit up.
Compatibility with the new D-RTK3 mobile station for more positioning accuracy and built in relay module for better transmission in challenging areas / large obstructions.
3 features that are unique to the Matrice 4E
1.
20MP mechanical shutter wide angle camera , 4/3 sensor. Designed for optimal mapping and survey. The M4E captures each image in 0.5s (Minimum Photo Interval). Faster than the M4T (.07 sec). This means a more crip capture (less chance of image blur) when the aircraft is moving at speed capturing plan-view (‘top down’) images. This is typical of a mapping mission – especially when you are trying to work efficiently (the M4E can capture images at 75 kph / 21 m/sec) in order to get a certain amount of land mapped before the sun goes down. The M4E also has a factory-calibrated camera, with distortion correction – its clearly designed for optimal mapping, modelling and RGB asset inspection
2.
Create a quick view 3D model of the target object (e.g. a cellular tower) live on the controller screen using ‘Smart 3D capture’ – essentially a ‘heads up’ 3D model when you are standing on site with the controller in had to help plan a more precise and better quality model making mission (that would typically be later processed into a high res 3D model on a computer via DJI Terra).
3.
The M4E camera can automatically adjust the angle of its camera gimbal up and down, during a 3D modelling mission , for much faster and more automated image capture of all the surface areas of vertical structures (buildings, towers, bridges etc). For context: with other/older drones, the whole aircraft needs to fly around the building in a corkscrew pattern in order to capture all the surface areas of the asset – a much slower process and more risk.
3 features that are unique to the Matrice 4T
1.
Thermal imaging! A ‘normal’ camera (RGB) depends on light (red green and blue) to work. A thermal camera doesn’t mind if its day or night as it measures temperature differentiation. The Matrice 4T's thermal sensor has a 640 x 512 resolution, but also supports a 1280 x 1024 infrared super-resolution (the predecessor , the M3T had a max 640 x 512).
2.
A 48MP wide angle camera, 1/1.3 sensor. Very good for high res images of assets and structures, but not as good for mapping and survey as the camera on the M4E which has a mechanical shutter, larger (4/3 CMOS) sensor, and faster capture interval.
3.
A Near Infrared (NIR) auxiliary light , to light up objects up to 100m away – such as the number plate of an intruders car. Very good for when using the RGB tele-zoom camera in black/white mode.
Please reach out with any questions - it's our job to help you choose the right drone gear for your task and support you through the journey. Reach us on [email protected] or 1300 029 829 – the DFH team.
Elevate your projects with our cutting-edge drone rental service! Whether you're a professional photographer, farmer, or an enthusiast, our fleet is ready for you.
Purchasing a new drone for your business is a big investment, it is always nice to try out the drones before purchasing them. Renting a drone from Drones For Hire (DFH) is a very easy and straightforward process. Here is what to expect:
Submit Inquiry - Aside from leaving us a message on the page, feel free to contact us via phone or email with your rental request. Our staff is happy to answer your questions! Think about these questions to help you to recommend the drone that best suits your needs.
Specifying the drone model if you have one in your mind.
Tell us your job or purpose, what do you want to use the drone for!
When do you need the drone, and the duration of it.
Recreational or Commercial.
Prior experience in using it? We can help!
Receive Quote & Invoice - We will confirm stock availability and send a rental quote along with a proforma invoice.
Make Payment - Secure your rental by making the payment, including the refundable safety deposit.
Shipment & Tracking - We ship the drone to your location and provide tracking details.
Use & Operate - Enjoy your rental for the agreed duration.
Return Process - We will arrange the shipment pickup for you! Hassle free, just stay home and someone will come to you. We will provide return shipping instructions and you just have to stick the shipping labels for easy delivery.
Inspection & Refund – Upon return and inspection, we process the refundable safety deposit.
DJI D-RTK 2 GNSS mobile station with Tripod
It comes with a tripod and WB37 batteries. Very useful in surveying and precision tasks, definitely get this to increase the accuracy to cm-level. It is compatible with most of the mapping drones like the Mavic, Matrice, and phantom 4 series.
Step 4: get a remote pilot licence (RePL). About $1500-2500 , and 3 days online form home, plus 1-2 days face to face , depending on which training company you choose. DFH subsidises these costs for customers who purchase their spray drone with us. For more information please contact the DFH ag. team on 1300 029 829 or [email protected]
Note that if you have the DJI T10, you can skip Step 4: remote pilot licence (RePL), because the T10 is the only one that is less than 25kgs – its falls into a different CASA category.
Important notes to remember:
There are no CASA authorisations required to conduct spraying operations when operating one drone on your own land besides the RePL and so long as you remain within the standard operating conditions.
The above rules are for when flying on your own property (not being paid to fly).If flying on other people’s property (typically being paid to fly), you will need to add a Type Rating (also called an endorsement (about $1,100.0) , and have a Remote operators certificate ReOC (about $2,000.0). DFH also subsidises these costs for customers who purchase their spray drone with us. For more information please contact the DFH ag. team on 1300 029 829 or [email protected]
Always adhere to the drone safety rules (standard operating conditions) – these apply to all operators.
You may have noticed the T50 has 2 pairs of rotors (not just 1), stacked on top of each other , at the end of each arm.
There is a correct amount of propeller surface area needed , proportionate to the weight of the aircraft , to create sufficient thrust / lift . This can be achieved by adding more rotors (coaxial) or making each rotor larger (regular quad / octocopter ).
Here are some implications of each design:
1. Updraft and drift The MTOW (max take off weight) for the T50 is 103kg. If the MTOW of another aircraft is higher (let’s say 110kg for instance) , it needs more thrust , which could potentially mean more updraft of spray droplets and may lead to more spray drift.
2.Torsional strain with coaxial, the rotors spin opposite directions, containing and balancing the torsional strain at each arm.
with a regular quadcopter, the torsional strain goes right through the airframe. so the airframe needs more heavy construction (usually equals more weight) to cope with this.
3. Stability The coaxial is also more stable and controllable , especially in a gust of wind. This creates much better yaw stability. that’s because the airspeed is much higher going through the coax props than a regular quadcopter.
4. Redundancy and safety With more rotors, if some of them get damaged , the other ones may be able to still mean the aircraft can come down slowly and in control ( and less likely crash). With only 4 pairs of rotors, if one of them is damaged badly enough, the aircraft will very likely lose control and crash.
China is leading the way on using drones to spray arable crops, and the presence of Chinese drone giant DJI’s agriculture division at the Agritechnica event in Hanover showed it is keen to flex its muscle in a market where it sees huge potential.
Up to now, Europe has lagged behind the US and China, but the sight of drones spraying arable crops may be getting closer, with signs that Europe is opening up regulation to permit their use.
DJI Agriculture has so far sold about 200,000 drones for spraying, 80% of which are in China.
It brought two new agricultural drone models and some of its top team from China to Agritechnica last month to discuss its research and development work and its collaboration with regulators to make the technology more accessible.
Opening up
DJI Agriculture pointed to its latest annual Agricultural Drone Insight Report, published in August, which highlights a gradual opening up of regulation in Europe.
The EU Commission proposed an update to its Sustainable Use Directive in summer 2022, which will exempt some unmanned aerial vehicles from the 2009 law prohibiting aerial pesticide application.
This is because spraying drones – when used in conjunction with remote sensing technology to produce application maps – can be much more targeted and reduce overall pesticide use, which is a key goal for the EU’s Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy.
Furthermore, the European Aviation Standards Authority ecently softened requirements for risk assessments when using a drone for a specific purpose such as chemical application, including lifting a 25kg weight limit, as long as it is within a maximum dimension of 3m.
Individual member states including Italy and France have already granted licenses for spraying of vineyards and orchards where steep slopes restrict access for ground sprayers.
Germany is also granting permission for agricultural drone use below 50kg.
In Switzerland, Agroscope, the country’s centre of excellence for agricultural research, has concluded that the environmental impact of using drones for spraying is similar to ground sprayers and has backed use of the technology.
Here in the UK, there is now a mechanism to get a permit for aerial spraying, with users able to submit application plans to the Health and Safety Executive for consideration.
The Health and Safety Executive is also leading a global partnership on how drones could be used to apply pesticides in the future.
This will help understand the risks to humans and the environment and adapt regulatory systems to better accommodate drone applications.
Positive outlook
All this paints a positive outlook for drone spraying operations in Europe, and DJI Agriculture’s Zhong Wing tells Farmers Weekly that drones can complement existing spraying technology very well.
In the short term, this will mostly be on difficult terrain and for spot spraying applications, but she says efficiency of drones, in terms of hectares covered, can already compete with a medium-sized 18m boom sprayer.
With relatively short flight times on existing batteries, this would require multiple drones, batteries, a fast charger, and well-trained operators to achieve constant flight.
“On the other side is efficacy. A drone creates a downwash, which is something unique [to the technology] and makes better penetration [of the crop canopy].
“If you are spraying a crop with a thick canopy like potatoes, the downwash of the drone will push the droplets [to the target] better, so in some ways there is a possibility to replace ground sprayers in the future,” she explains.
DJI Agriculture is working with research organisations globally, including Auburn University in the US, to improve efficiency, efficacy and drift control when using drones.
Data on the latter is key to maintain momentum in opening up regulation where adoption is behind regions like Asia, such as in Europe.
“From the technical side, there is a lot we can do to change the regulatory ecosystem, like reducing drift by enhancing downwash, adding agents into the solution, and improving the precision of the systems,” explains Zhong.
Advanced technology
The first of two new DJI Agriculture drone models, the Agras T50 has been available in China since last year and is the largest and most advanced agricultural drone DJI has produced thus far.
Superseding the T40, the quadcopter has a coaxial dual rotor design with 54in blades and high-power electronic speed controllers (ESCs).
This means it is capable of flying at faster speeds while carrying a liquid spraying payload of 40kg and spreading (fertiliser or seeds) payload of 50kg.
Following the lead of other agricultural drone manufacturers, the unit moves away from hydraulic nozzles and uses centrifugal nozzles to deliver chemical to the target.
These have a motor-driven disc that rotates at high speed, dispersing spray droplets by centrifugal force. Droplet size is regulated by the speed of the disc and the flow rate from pump to nozzle.
Flow rates have improved dramatically compared with previous models, with 16 litres/min and 24 litres/min possible with two and four nozzles, respectively.
Its twin pump system is now integrated into the spray module rather than the drone, which makes cleaning and maintenance more straightforward.
If applying solid materials, the spreading module has an upgraded motor with increased torque and a spiral flow channel spinner which it is claims spreads more evenly and smoothly than before at rates up to 108kg/minute.
Improved camera
Other upgrades see the T50 carrying an ultra-high-definition first person view gimbal camera for better image collection and a powerful obstacle sensing system. This uses two phased array radars and two dual binocular vision systems front and rear.
Better LED spotlights also improve abilities when working at night and its combination of surveying and product application is claimed to make it a complete drone solution.
The second new model is the Agras T25P, which trumps the T20P model, and is a more flexible and portable option aimed at precision applications carried out by a single pilot on smaller farms.
Payload is 20kg for spraying and 25kg for spreading and the T25P benefits from all the other upgrades of the T50 for improved operation.
Given the cost and current regulatory roadblocks, will many be investing in agricultural drones from DJI and others in the short term?
ISO Standard
Joanna Wang, DJI Agriculture’s policy manager, says a recently published international standard (ISO23117) will help drone makers comply with a set of minimum requirements for reducing the risk of environmental issues when using drones for spraying.
Once agricultural drone models have this ISO certification, it will inevitably encourage regulators to permit their use where the country recognises the ISO standard.
Another significant roadblock is the agrochemical approvals in Europe, as almost all product labels will not include aerial spraying with drones as a means of application.
Joanna says there might be two routes for the EU and other countries including the UK to take.
One would be to follow the model used by Asia Pacific countries such as China and Thailand, which decided to permit use of most products applied with ground sprayers for drones.
The other is to follow the lead of Japan and have a separate list of registered products for drones, individually approved by the country’s health and safety regulators.
This would be a very heavy workload for the relevant department, but may be considered necessary here due to the use of low water volumes – meaning higher concentration of chemical in spray solutions – associated with drone spraying, for example.
I'm the co-founder and manager of the business and I'm Oscar. I'm the head of agriculture and the manager at the service centre.
Nick
We're here to talk about the T-50. It's DJI's new agricultural spray drone. We'll be going through some of the features of the aircraft of course and all the other accessories and things that you get with it and we believe it's the best spray drone currently available in Australia and Drones for Hire is an authorised dealer for DJI and we have an agricultural DJI approved service centre and we've been operating for 10 years and we're very excited about this new spraying and spreading drone and we think it's going to make a big difference to Australian agriculture.
What makes it distinctive is you can tell by the huge radar at the front of course and also the white propellers make it distinctive compared to the the other predecessors as well. What you get when you purchase a T-50 is of course the aircraft. It comes standard with the liquid tank and then as an optional extra which most people do choose is the hopper or the spreader.
So it's used for things like fertiliser, seeding, baits, urea, all those kinds of things. Very very useful extra add-on for the T-50 and really gives the aircraft a whole new purpose for a marginally higher cost than than the standard kit. So it's the aircraft of course, standard with the liquid tank, optional spreader and then the three batteries here.
These are the DB1560 batteries for the T-50 and this is the charging station. So that's the C8000, the two 15 amp charging leads of course and a few small accessories here which is just the battery that goes in the back of the controller. So the controller is up here, very nice big screen, by far the best controller that you can get for basically any drone.
Very very user-friendly, very smartly laid out software, nice bright screen, very large, easy to see, easier to plan out your missions and select different settings and so forth. So that small WB37 battery goes inside the controller. It also has an internal battery as well so the external WB37 charges the internal and so that's a redundancy system so you don't run out of power mid-flight of course.
Oscar
And then here you've got your charger, your 65 watt charger which will charge your controller and also your WB37 charger. They come in the package.
Nick
Yeah so that's what we call the standard kit, three battery kit and as I say most people go with the hopper just because it's an extra $2,000 roughly but adds a whole new purpose to the drone.
Oscar
If we have a look at the aircraft now, run through a few of the features. So with any spray drone you're going to have two basic aspects to it. You've got your flight systems and then you've also got your spray systems.
So your flight system is just the drone how it flies and then your spray system, like any other spray system, you're going to have a few basic features. You're going to have a tank, a pump and nozzles. We're going to start off with the flight system.
The first thing we'll look at here is our propulsion systems. These motors are basically the same as the T40 motors, no great improvements there and then we've got our ESCs which are our electronic speed controllers. They're a big upgrade on the T40 speed controllers.
Two sets of motors and ESCs on each arm. We'll go through some of the features of that. The coaxial operation there especially helps you out in the spray systems because we have different angles of each motor set which put different rotor wash down on droplets and create different spray patterns compared to some of the other options for your spray drones which just have flat, basically flat, propulsion systems.
Nick
Yeah, the layout and positioning of these motors and propellers is very deliberate and it's designed to create not only just, obviously not just a flying machine, so the propellers are generating lift of course but they're also designed to produce optimal spray patterns. So downward thrust and circulating vortices to achieve your swath as well. So these kind of non-uniform angles, let's call them, of the propellers and motors and arms is all very deliberate to try and get optimal spraying efficiency.
So that achieves wider swath and also good downward pressure to circulate the droplets coming out of the sprayers at the back here. Circulate them down and around and get all the liquid vapour stuck on the undersides of the leaves and all the different surface areas of the target and that it improves your spraying efficiency and the result of course.
Oscar
Yeah and that's where we get our chemical use reductions from with spray drones. It's in that the work that the rotors are doing, creating the vortices and spreading those droplets amongst the plant as Nick was saying. So the next thing we might look at is some of the obstacle avoidance and terrain tracking features.
That's where the T50 is really upgraded. So the obvious one is this great big rhino horn on the front. This is our new improved radar.
We've also got two sets of binocular visions on the T50. So there's one set up here and there's one set down here. This is very similar to the T40 setup and then we've got this added set above upwards and forward detection.
Probably the most exciting feature of the terrain following obstacle avoidance is around the back here in the rear radar. So this is our rear radar which you can see is pretty well exactly the same as the front radar and it's mounted in a position which gives us a really good under aircraft spread for our terrain tracking and also for our obstacle detection. If we compare that to the old T40 radar this is a T40 rear radar and then if you also have a look at the position where that T40 radar sat which was up here now once the battery's in you've got the battery coming down here so you've got a blind spot in your radar.
Now with the T50 radar it's unimposed and it's massive.
Nick
Yeah so the rear radar is also an active phased array radar as is the front one so they're both active phased array and the two upgraded radars combined with the binocular vision system that's been doubled as Oscar was saying all combined to create a very strong perception system for the drone so it improves the drone's ability to essentially perceive what's around it so that's you know undulations or ground height changes, trees of course, obstacles, power lines, dams, structures, anything like that. This T50 compared to other spray drones is particularly good at doing that at being able to see what's around it and move more smoothly around things and just behave more efficiently as a result because it's not stopping and starting as much and it's seeing obstacles in the lay of the land more effectively and faster than other spray drones can so that's obviously safer, it's more efficient with as far as battery power usage and it's just smoother and better to fly as well.
Oscar
So this is your T40 radar and you can just see just to give you a bit of visual comparison the difference in those significantly bigger.
Nick
So some spray drones that don't have that perception system that we were just talking about they might be okay for broadacre spraying where there's no trees it's just big wide open flat areas and crops like any crop like wheat, cotton for example, it's very easy conditions for a spray drone to behave well in. This T50 can be used in just as easily in hilly country so obstacles, steep terrain, rocky, lots of complicated terrain, it's designed to be very effective in weed spraying and spot spraying in those hilly difficult areas as well as do the broadacre so it really has a dual purpose compared to quite a few of the other spray drones that are available.
Oscar
And the thing that we found in regards to that complexity of terrain, while you might have a clean flat field the density of a crop having patches through it or areas that have been missed or that are just sparse can create a really complex terrain for a drone. So you can have a radar that's seeing through certain densities of crop and that changes from being a nice flat field to having undulations and sometimes you know 90 degree walls of thick crop will basically be like this you know flying into a 90 degree brick wall. So while a broadacre with a nice low pasture is going to be easy for these drones with not as a higher perception system in it, even that crop once it grows up and becomes more dense and that density is sparse or patchy that then becomes a complex terrain.
So it's another factor to consider about complexity of terrain that you need to consider it from the drone's point of view.
Nick
The other big difference in addition to the perception system upgrade with the T50 is the spraying system. So the back here we've got the same centrifugal rotary style nozzles there at the back and the improvement I'm talking about is a flow rate increase from 12 litres per minute maximum flow rate for the T40 which is the aircraft just there behind Oscar up to a maximum of 24 litres per minute. So there's upgraded pumps as well on the back of the tank here.
So these pumps have been upgraded to achieve that 24 litres maximum per minute flow rate and currently as it is this one will do 16 litres per minute and you can get up to 24 by adding two extra spray nozzles so that's these two black the black spray lances there. You can actually have an optional accessories kit which adds two more to the front arms as well and that gets the flow rate up to 24 litres a minute. So you have an aircraft which is essentially sensing its environment much more effectively and behaving more confidently in both broadacre and complex terrain and also a aircraft which is which is outputting liquid much faster so you can you can achieve more hectares or weeds sprayed per day and you can have a drone which is more confidently behaving and moving around complex terrain.
So some very important very useful upgrades from DJI with the T50.
Oscar
The other one of the other features on the spray nozzles is they've got a solenoid down at the nozzle which will shut off when spraying stops. So the old T40s had a centrifugal system which when it started spinning would would drop down and open up. These ones just have a direct solenoid up here which will just shut off and so we shouldn't get some any dripping on that sort of thing.
I think some of the other things that that I've noticed anyway that I'm excited about is you've got this extra latch here on the arms for security so when the arm is closed up you click it shut but then it can't open without you pushing the latch. There's better accessibility it looks like to the front control systems and same with the back with just two screws and then a hinge. You've still got your FPV camera there obviously which is another big feature with the the big remote control it allows you to really utilize that especially if you're doing weeds impartial or some of those more tricky spray jobs where you might be further away and and just want a little bit of extra help.
Battery obviously goes in the back here you've got your dual RTK antenna like a T40 which gives you well if you're running a base station you know 10 mil accuracy up to 10 mil accuracy.
Nick
The other thing I was going to say just adding about the camera here is this camera is for just situational awareness so you can see what the drone sees as it's moving around of course. If you're over a weed like a blackberry patch for example you can just rotate a wheel on the controller and actuate that camera down and then you can see exactly what's beneath the drone and then turn the sprayers on to manually spot spray patches of weed. It also can work or does work as a mapping drone as well so whilst it's a very big mapping drone you can do up to 15 hectares per battery as a mapping drone so basically the way you do it is you just keep the tank empty to keep the aircraft light and then put it into a mapping mission and it'll go back and forth just the same way a Mavic 3 Enterprise or a Mavic 3 multispectral would and it's taking photos as it as it moves through the sky just like a lawnmower in the sky going back and forth taking photos and then it will pre-map the terrain that you're about to spray and yeah it is limited to 15 hectares per battery so it doesn't replace a mapping drone but it is useful when you're out in the field you need to pre-map before you do any spraying and you don't have a mapping drone with you or you don't own one and you know you can do all the prescription mapping and the instructional settings and things inside the controller so you don't need a laptop you don't need a mapping drone you can just use this T-50 as a mapping drone from time to time for fairly small areas that you need to map at a time.
Oscar
I was just looking at another feature here that I hadn't really taken much notice of but the the wires that are running through the arm rather than running through and then round a fairly sharp corner they've now got this nice bit of conduit or plastic covering and then they bring it into a little guard there so that looks like a nice addition.
Nick
The other thing is these little black antennas here they're RF antennas there's actually four of those on the aircraft there's two here and then there's two at the back as well so if you wanted to come around and have a look at where they are basically wherever you're standing with the controller there'll always be line of sight between the controller antennas and the four antennas on the aircraft.
Oscar
So there's our two rear antennas in the back so the idea here is that you've got antennas at the front and the rear to give you full connectivity no matter which way the aircraft's facing.
Nick
So if you've got the controller in your hand no matter which way the aircraft's orientated there's always well there's a much better chance of one of the antennas being a connected line of sight to the controller so essentially a stronger connection between the aircraft and the controller. So yeah so that's the T-50 there's a lot more we can say but they're some of the big improvements that we've noticed on the other spray drones and also on the T-40 and speaking of which this is a T-40 over here.
Oscar
It is interesting to note the size difference I think Nick like the the footprint the the frame the airframe is pretty well the same with the T-50 and the T-40 the legs that we make the wheels fit on the same the yeah onto the the heights are pretty similar to the T-50 slightly higher but we actually haven't tested it in our box yet but from measuring it up it should fit into our system that we already have for the T-40.
So if you've got a trailer set up with a T-40 or a back of the ute system the new aircraft should slide straight into the to the old boxes which is pretty good.
Nick
The hopper is an extra five litres on the T-40 hopper so that's 75 litres capacity for the hopper.
Oscar
Well I think the spray nozzles are you know significantly different when you look at the two just having that that larger structure to the the stem and the solenoid but the actual centrifugal motor and that whole system is pretty well the same.
Nick
And you can set on the controller just looking at that the rotary spinner at the bottom of the spray lens you can set that up to 500 microns the same as the T-40 as far as droplet size and there's also two different spinner types as well isn't there there's the yeah and there's a single layer and there's a couple of aftermarket options to get a tighter swath that that'll still fit on the T-50.
Oscar
Obviously we've been through the radar significantly smaller radar on the T-40 the rear radar has had a massive upgrade and then the binocular vision being your two binocular visions here as opposed to your four on that.
Nick
And then we have the fly cart over here as well so this is the fly cart 30. So this is a different a different animal again you'll notice it has a lot in common with the T-50 it is appears to be a modified T-50 essentially but it's designed for deliveries so delivering anything food emergency supplies medical supplies tools whatever you like so it's got a takes two batteries so for a longer flight time two batteries also for redundancy as well so it's got a had a battery failure you've got the other one to keep you going which is unexpected but it's possible.
Oscar
It's also got the parachute on it so if you have a failure when you're flying over a dangerous area has the the parachute to bring it down safely same radar same obstacle avoidance systems and everything this one's fitted with a winch if you see down here it's a winch system and I think is it 20 meter cable on the winch and you can also swap out the winch system for a
Nick
sort of large cargo box so the cargo box you can put things into it which has a weighing system like scales in it up to 30 kilo capacity so that's why it's called fly cart 30.
Oscar
30 being the kilos it can carry same with on the winch you can carry a load of 30 kilos
Nick
yeah so very very interesting new aircraft from DJI very useful in lots of different scenarios especially for basically any areas where you need to move items from point to point where it's difficult terrain so hilly mountainous areas slow roads you know dirt tracks or very slow roads so anywhere where you've got slow vehicle access or no vehicle access very useful new addition from DJI. So there you have it so they're the yeah the T-50 obviously being the sort of most exciting new addition for us as DJI agriculture dealers a lot of drones for hires focus with hardware is on agriculture now with our service center and our network of contractors and you know we have quite a well-established network for support now for Agras and for setup days and parts supply and all that kind of thing we feel very confident about being able to support this this new T-50 properly for customers and you know we we like to continue being DJI supporters and sellers because we feel that DJI compared to any of the other manufacturers is a very sound company very large organization well resourced extremely good R&D department a lot of engineers just a very strong and well-developed organization for drone manufacturing and you know for things like resolving issues for firmware updates just the sheer engineering and design of the system and you know the layout of the arms and the way it's designed as a spraying system not only just a just a not only just for lift but also for optimal spraying of course which is what it's all about we just feel very confident and comfortable with with DJI and we're looking
Oscar
forward to new models coming out we hope you've this has helped you have a quick look at the T-50 our first look has been really exciting too some really exciting features the obstacle avoidance the ESC's some of those upgrades we're really looking forward to testing in the field and we
Nick
also realized that for a lot of our customers be it growers or contract sprayers it's usually their first spray drone so you know the the need for support and for education is particularly high and we're designing our business to be as supportive as possible for customers yeah so if you would like to reach us our website is drones for hires d-r-o-n-e-s-f-o-r-h-i-r-e.com and phone number is 1300 029 829 thanks for watching
DJI T100 Clear for Takeoff
CASA has approved the T100 for operation in Australia under the Medium category, just like the T50 and other spray drones. The liquid tank holds up to 100 L and the spreader handles 100 kg. There are no built-in take-off limits or system restrictions in the drone or software. You’ll only see a brief notice on the remote screen if you exceed the MTOW, which disappears automatically. To stay within CASA’s operating guidelines, keep total load to 75 L or kg.
