The DJI Matrice 4T Search & Rescue Kit is a complete deployment package for SAR teams, mountain rescue units, sheriff's offices, fire departments, and emergency management agencies that need a thermal drone in the air fast and a subject located before conditions change. The M4T's 640×512 uncooled VOx thermal camera finds body heat through brush, tree canopy, smoke, fog, and total darkness. The 48MP telephoto camera confirms identity and assesses condition from 250 meters without repositioning. AI-powered subject detection locks on and tracks automatically once you're close. The laser rangefinder drops a precise GPS coordinate on the target — your ground team gets exact coordinates, not a general direction. Four batteries, an intelligent charging station, the AL1 Spotlight for after-dark illumination, a GPC-grade protective case, and the RC Plus 2 Enterprise controller ship together in one order. Deploy the same day it arrives. We've been equipping SAR teams, sheriff's offices, and fire departments since 2017. Real people answer the phone at (612) 816-0039 — Monday through Sunday, 8 AM to 7 PM EST.

What's in the Kit

• DJI Matrice 4T Aircraft — four integrated sensors on a single 3-axis stabilized gimbal: 640×512 thermal camera (UHR super-resolution to 1280×1024), 48MP wide-angle (24mm, f/1.7), 48MP medium telephoto (70mm), 48MP telephoto (168mm, 112x hybrid zoom), plus laser rangefinder. Built-in RTK module and NIR auxiliary light. Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. 49-minute max flight time.
• DJI RC Plus 2 Enterprise Controller — 7-inch 1400-nit sunlight-readable display, IP54-rated, O4 Enterprise and 4G hybrid transmission, physical control sticks, runs DJI Pilot 2 with AI tracking, waypoint navigation, smart tracking, and real-time area coverage mapping
• 4 Intelligent Flight Batteries — up to 3.2 hours total operational time with hot-swap rotations. No waiting for a charge cycle mid-search.
• Intelligent Battery Charging Station — sequential smart charging, battery health monitoring, simplifies fleet logistics at base and in the field
• DJI AL1 Spotlight — mounts directly to the M4T, 100-meter illumination range, gimbal-following (light stays on target automatically), always-on and strobe modes, wide-FOV for broad area illumination, narrow-FOV for focused target lighting
• GPC-Style Protective Carrying Case — shock-resistant, foam-fitted custom cutouts for the full kit including aircraft, controller, batteries, and spotlight. Protects equipment during vehicle transport, helicopter transport, and field deployment in rough terrain.
• Additional Propeller Sets — multiple spare sets included to keep the aircraft mission-ready without a supply run if a prop is damaged in the field

Who This Kit Is Built For

This is a purpose-built SAR and public safety deployment package. The thermal + spotlight + four-battery configuration is designed for the specific demands of search and rescue operations where the search window is narrow, conditions are degraded, and failure to locate means someone doesn't come home. The right organizations for this kit include:

• Mountain and wilderness search and rescue teams covering terrain where ground search is slow, dangerous, or limited by darkness and weather
• Sheriff's offices and county SAR units managing missing persons cases, lost hikers, Alzheimer's patient wandering incidents, and lost children across rural and semi-rural coverage areas
• Fire departments and hazmat teams using thermal overwatch for structure fire search, post-collapse victim location, wildfire perimeter tracking, and hazmat incident monitoring
• Law enforcement agencies running suspect tracking, perimeter containment, warrant service support, crowd monitoring, and Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs
• Emergency management agencies coordinating disaster response situational awareness, survivor search in debris fields, and post-event damage assessment
• Volunteer SAR organizations that need a grant-fundable, mission-proven platform with clear line-item pricing for procurement documentation
• Water rescue and dive teams using aerial thermal to detect heat signatures along shorelines, in floating debris, and in low-visibility water rescue scenarios

If your primary mission is wildfire suppression and you need the AS1 Speaker for ground team communication alongside the spotlight, see the M4TD First Responder Kit — it includes both the AL1 and AS1 payloads plus the IP55-rated all-weather airframe purpose-built for those conditions. If your program is wildlife tracking and deer recovery, see the M4T Wildlife Recovery Bundle.

The Thermal Camera — What It Actually Does in the Field

The M4T's 640×512 uncooled vanadium oxide (VOx) thermal sensor detects differences in radiated heat energy, not visible light. A person lying motionless in tall grass, face-down in underbrush, or under a tree canopy is invisible to standard cameras at night. To the thermal camera, they appear as a bright heat source against the cooler ground background, regardless of visibility conditions. This is why thermal is the primary sensor for SAR work — not supplemental, primary.

• UHR Super-Resolution Mode: Pushes thermal resolution from 640×512 to 1280×1024 — four times the pixel count for finer heat signature differentiation. Distinguish a person from an animal, detect a heat source partially obscured by debris, and identify body position at operational altitude without descending to a dangerous low-altitude hover.
• Temperature measurement range: High Gain Mode covers -20°C to 150°C (-4°F to 302°F) for standard person search. Low Gain Mode extends to 550°C (1,022°F) for structure fire and wildfire hotspot mapping in the same aircraft.
• Nine thermal palettes: White Hot, Black Hot, Iron Red, Hot Iron, Arctic, Medical, Tint, Fulgurite, Rainbow 1/2 — switch in flight to maximize subject contrast against the specific background you're searching.
• f/1.0 aperture: The widest aperture on any compact enterprise thermal drone. More thermal energy collected per frame means sharper temperature differentiation at altitude and better sensitivity in marginal temperature differential conditions — cold nights where a hypothermic subject has reduced heat output.
• NIR auxiliary light (100m range): Onboard near-infrared illumination for supplemental lighting in visual modes without blinding the thermal sensor. Run both simultaneously for multi-spectrum situational awareness during night operations.

AL1 Spotlight — Why It's in This Kit

Thermal finds the subject. The AL1 Spotlight confirms them visually, coordinates the ground team, and guides them to the exact location in total darkness. The spotlight mounts directly to the M4T and tracks with the gimbal automatically — wherever the camera points, the light follows. You don't need a second operator managing a separate lighting system. One pilot, one aircraft, full thermal and visual capability simultaneously.

• 100-meter illumination range — enough to light a subject from a safe operational altitude without descending below obstacle clearance minimums
• Always-on mode for continuous ground team guidance during extraction — keeps the crew walking directly to the subject
• Strobe mode for subject signaling, visual ID confirmation, and helicopter coordination during hoist or extraction operations
• Wide-FOV mode for broad area lighting during active search sweeps when the team is closing on a thermal hit but needs broader visual coverage to confirm terrain
• Operates independently of the thermal camera — run thermal on the M4T gimbal and light simultaneously for continuous dual-mode coverage without switching modes or landing

AI Subject Detection and Smart Tracking

The M4T's onboard AI computing platform runs real-time object detection that identifies people, vehicles, and vessels from altitude without the pilot manually scanning each frame. In a dense search area, the aircraft can be programmed on a search grid route while the AI flags thermal anomalies that match human heat signatures — the pilot monitors for flags rather than manually scanning every pixel of every frame for a two-hour search. When a subject is located, Smart Track locks the gimbal on the target and holds it through aircraft movement, wind drift, and altitude changes. The subject stays centered in frame while the pilot maneuvers the aircraft or communicates with ground teams. The laser rangefinder drops a GPS coordinate on the locked target at any point in the search. Observation Range Recording in DJI Pilot 2 displays the exact ground area already covered by the camera on the controller map — no gaps, no re-covered ground, no missed corridors in featureless terrain at 2 AM.

Four Batteries — Why It Matters for SAR

Most missing person searches last longer than 49 minutes. Most structure fires require persistent overwatch through multiple operational phases. Most suspect containment operations run until resolution, not until the drone battery dies. The four-battery configuration with the intelligent charging station means your program stays airborne continuously. While one battery is flying, two are charging and one is on standby. Hot-swap the battery at RTH, relaunch in under two minutes, and maintain continuous aerial coverage for the duration of the incident without a gap in your situational awareness. Total flight time with four batteries and hot-swap rotation: up to 3.2 hours of sustained aerial coverage per deployment. For a wilderness SAR operation covering a large search area, that's the difference between completing the primary search grid in one deployment versus staging multiple return trips to base.

Grant Funding — How Agencies Purchase This Kit

Most public safety agencies and SAR teams don't purchase this kit out of operating budget. They use grant funding. The M4T Search & Rescue Kit is explicitly eligible under the following federal programs:

• FEMA Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) and State Homeland Security Program (SHSP): UAS purchases for emergency response and public safety are listed as authorized equipment under FEMA's Authorized Equipment List (AEL), category 03OE-07-SUAS. The grant application requires make, model, operating weight, country of origin, line-item cost breakdown, and an operational justification document. We provide all of this.
• FEMA Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI): Available to high-threat urban areas for technology procurement including UAV systems for public safety response. FY2025 funding is $553.5 million nationally.
• Byrne-JAG (Justice Assistance Grants): Department of Justice grants available to law enforcement agencies for equipment procurement including drone systems for patrol, surveillance, and response operations.
• COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) Grants: DOJ program supporting law enforcement technology acquisition including UAS for patrol and public safety missions.
• Mountain Rescue Association R&D Grant: Available to MRA-member SAR organizations specifically for search and rescue systems and technology.
• Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation: Grants for fire departments and volunteer SAR organizations for life-saving equipment purchases.

We provide same-day formal quotes with complete line-item pricing broken out by component — aircraft, controller, batteries, spotlight, case, accessories — in the exact format procurement offices and grant administrators require. W-9 on file. Sole-source justification language available. Net-30 terms for qualifying agencies. Call us at (612) 816-0039 or email sales@covertdrones.com and we'll have your grant documentation package ready the same day.

SAR Mission Applications

• Missing person search — wilderness and rural terrain: Thermal detection through dense vegetation, creek bottoms, ravines, and forested terrain where ground teams can't effectively search at night. AI subject detection flags human heat signatures on automated grid routes. Laser rangefinder delivers GPS coordinates directly to ground team GPS units. Cover in minutes what a ground team takes hours to search.
• Alzheimer's and dementia patient recovery: Wandering patient searches in residential, suburban, and rural areas. Thermal detects a sedentary patient in a ditch, behind a building, or in vegetation from altitude. Frequent mission type for sheriff's offices — the M4T is configured specifically to deploy fast and search efficiently on short-notice call-outs.
• Structure fire search and rescue: Thermal overwatch through smoke identifies heat signatures of trapped occupants before entry teams commit. Maps fire spread and hotspot location for incident command. Monitors structural areas crews can't safely enter. Post-suppression hotspot detection prevents re-ignition.
• Wildfire perimeter mapping and crew safety: Real-time fire line location, spot fire detection ahead of the main perimeter, and crew safety overwatch in active suppression areas. Low Gain thermal mode handles the high temperature ranges present in active fire operations. Laser rangefinder calculates fire area and spread rate for incident command resource deployment.
• Water and swiftwater rescue: Thermal locates subjects in or near water — hypothermic individuals lose heat rapidly but remain detectable against cold water backgrounds. Spot searches along riverbanks, lakeshores, and debris fields faster than watercraft. Coordinate boat and shore teams from aerial overwatch without hazarding additional rescuers.
• Suspect tracking and law enforcement containment: Maintain visual and thermal track on a fleeing suspect across structures, tree lines, and terrain features that break ground-level visual contact. Establish and monitor perimeter containment without deploying officers into unknown-threat positions. SWAT coordination and tactical overwatch for warrant service and barricade situations.
• Disaster response and post-event survivor search: Thermal survivor search in collapsed structures, debris fields, and large-scale disaster scenes where ground access is restricted or dangerous. Real-time situational awareness for incident command coordinating multiple response agencies across a large impact area.
• Avalanche and winter SAR: Snow burial thermal detection for avalanche victims — thermal differentials are small but detectable with the M4T's f/1.0 aperture and High Gain mode sensitivity. Aerial terrain assessment for safe probe team approach routes in avalanche debris.

DJI Matrice 4T vs. DJI Mavic 3 Thermal — Why SAR Teams Upgrade

The Mavic 3 Thermal (M3T) is what many programs are running today. If you're evaluating the M4T as an upgrade or replacement, here's the operational difference:

• 640×512 vs. 640×512 — but UHR mode changes the equation: Both platforms share the same base thermal resolution. The M4T's UHR super-resolution pushes to 1280×1024 in real time — the M3T does not offer this. At altitude, that resolution difference means the difference between a confirmed person and an uncertain heat blob.
• f/1.0 thermal aperture (M4T) vs. f/1.0 (M3T): Equivalent thermal sensitivity — both are excellent in marginal conditions. The M4T advantage is the complete sensor suite: three visible light cameras plus thermal plus laser rangefinder versus the M3T's two cameras plus thermal.
• 48MP telephoto at 168mm (M4T) vs. 48MP at 162mm (M3T): Effectively equivalent zoom capability, but the M4T adds the medium telephoto (70mm) as a distinct sensor rather than a digital zoom step — sharper mid-range confirmation imagery.
• 49-minute flight time (M4T) vs. 43-minute (M3T): Six additional minutes per battery. Across a four-battery hot-swap rotation, that's 24 additional minutes of search coverage per deployment — meaningful in time-critical searches.
• O4 Enterprise transmission (M4T) vs. O3 Enterprise (M3T): O4 delivers up to 25km range versus O3's 15km. For large wilderness search areas and extended-range operations, the transmission upgrade is operationally significant.
• AI platform (M4T): The M4T's onboard AI computing enables real-time subject detection and Observation Range Recording. The M3T has no equivalent onboard AI processing capability.

Optional Add-Ons

Protection and Coverage

Every unit ships as genuine, unused DJI hardware with zero flight hours. We activate each aircraft before shipping to verify regional compatibility and proper function. The activation is performed by us — it does not affect your ability to register, operate, or transfer the aircraft.

DJI Enterprise Care eligibility: Because we complete a universal region-free activation, this unit is not eligible for DJI Enterprise Care or DJI's U.S.-based manufacturer warranty. DJI's paid repair service is available for out-of-warranty repairs if needed. Any manufacturing defect identified within 48 hours of delivery — contact us immediately and we coordinate a replacement or repair at no cost to you.

CPS Accidental Drone Protection Plan (Available at Checkout)

The CPS plan is the right protection option for this kit. It explicitly covers commercial and public safety Part 107 operations — including active SAR missions, law enforcement, and fire response. Coverage includes crash and impact damage, water and liquid damage, internal hardware failure, RC Plus 2 controller damage, and camera and gimbal damage. If the aircraft cannot be repaired, CPS replaces it. A deductible applies at claim. For a SAR program or public safety agency where the aircraft is mission-critical equipment, having the drone out of service for a repair cycle has operational consequences. The CPS plan limits that exposure from the day you deploy.

Why Covert Drones Over the Big Box Retailers

DSLRPros, Advexure, and Dronefly will process your order. When your incident commander needs a line-item quote formatted for a grant application by end of day, when your procurement officer has questions about the sole-source justification, when your pilot has a question during a callout at 2 AM — that's where we're different. We've been building kits for SAR teams, sheriff's offices, and fire departments since 2017. We know how grant documentation works, how FEMA AEL categories apply, and how to get a formal quote to your department the same day you call. We don't have a hold queue. Real people answer at (612) 816-0039, Monday through Sunday, 8 AM to 7 PM EST. Net-30 terms for qualifying agencies. W-9 on file. We'll also help you write the equipment justification language if you need it — no charge, no pitch, just help getting your department equipped.

View our Return & Refund Policy before purchasing. Covert Drones LLC is an independent U.S. reseller. Not affiliated with or authorized by DJI. All products are authentic, new, and ship with zero flight hours. Purchaser is responsible for compliance with all applicable FAA regulations including Part 107.

Key Specs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DJI Matrice 4T Search & Rescue Kit and what does it include?

The DJI Matrice 4T Search & Rescue Kit is a complete deployment package for SAR teams and public safety agencies. It includes the M4T aircraft with integrated thermal camera, three visible-light cameras, and laser rangefinder; the RC Plus 2 Enterprise controller; four intelligent flight batteries; an intelligent charging station; the DJI AL1 Spotlight; a GPC-style protective carrying case; and additional propeller sets. Everything needed to run a thermal SAR mission ships in one order and is operational on arrival.

How does thermal imaging help find missing persons at night?

The M4T's 640×512 thermal camera detects radiated body heat against cooler background terrain. A person lying motionless in tall grass, brush, or under tree canopy is invisible to standard cameras in darkness. To the thermal sensor, they appear as a distinct heat signature against the cooler ground and vegetation, regardless of lighting conditions. UHR super-resolution mode pushes the image to 1280×1024 for more precise differentiation between a human heat signature and an animal. The AI detection platform flags human-shaped heat signatures automatically during grid search routes, reducing pilot fatigue and improving detection probability in large search areas.

Can the DJI Matrice 4T be purchased with grant funding?

Yes. UAS for public safety and emergency response are authorized equipment under FEMA's Authorized Equipment List, category 03OE-07-SUAS. Eligible grant programs include the FEMA Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI), DOJ Byrne-JAG grants, and COPS program grants for law enforcement. Volunteer SAR organizations can apply through the Mountain Rescue Association R&D Grant and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. We provide same-day formal quotes with line-item pricing in the exact format grant administrators require, plus sole-source justification language and W-9 documentation. Call (612) 816-0039 and we'll have your package ready the same day.

What is the range of the DJI AL1 Spotlight included in this kit?

The AL1 Spotlight illuminates targets up to 100 meters away from the aircraft. It mounts directly to the M4T and tracks with the gimbal automatically — wherever the camera points, the light follows. It operates in always-on mode for continuous ground team guidance and strobe mode for subject signaling and helicopter coordination. Wide-FOV mode provides broader area illumination during active search sweeps. The spotlight operates simultaneously with the thermal camera, giving you thermal detection and visible illumination from a single aircraft with one pilot.

How does the M4T compare to the M4TD for search and rescue?

Both platforms carry the same sensor suite — identical thermal camera, three visible-light cameras, laser rangefinder, and AI detection. The M4T is a folding-arm aircraft optimized for portability and rapid manual deployment. The M4TD uses a fixed-arm airframe with an IP55 all-weather rating and is designed for docked autonomous operations via DJI Dock 3. For teams that need a man-portable aircraft they can deploy from a vehicle in under two minutes, the M4T is the right platform. For agencies running 24/7 autonomous patrol and drone-as-first-responder programs where the aircraft launches from a base station on 911 dispatch without a pilot present, the M4TD is the upgrade path. The M4T can be paired with DJI Dock 3 if your program scales to autonomous operations later — the M4T airframe supports that integration.

What is the detection range for thermal imaging on the M4T?

Practical human detection range depends on flight altitude, atmospheric conditions, and thermal differential. At 100 meters AGL in standard night conditions, the M4T's 640×512 sensor reliably detects standing or seated adult heat signatures. UHR mode extends effective recognition range — distinguishing human from animal, or reading body position — by increasing pixel density on the target. In cold ambient conditions where the temperature differential between a person and the background is high, detection range increases. In warm ambient conditions where a person's heat signature blends closer to background temperature, detection range decreases. The f/1.0 aperture and VOx sensor sensitivity are optimized to maintain detection capability in the marginal differential conditions that present the hardest SAR scenarios.

Can the M4T fly in rain during a search mission?

The M4T does not carry an IP waterproof rating from DJI. It is not rated for precipitation. In real-world operator experience, the M4T has handled light to moderate rain exposure without adverse effects, but this is outside manufacturer specifications and we don't recommend deploying in precipitation if an alternative exists. For teams that regularly operate in rain, fog, and adverse weather conditions, the M4TD First Responder Kit carries a full IP55 rating and is purpose-built for all-weather deployment.

How fast can the M4T be airborne from the time you arrive on scene?

DJI quotes a 15-second takeoff time from power-on with the GNSS and Vision Fusion Positioning system. In practice with a trained pilot, aircraft unfold, boot, acquire GPS lock, and launch in under two minutes from case open. The RC Plus 2 controller and aircraft link automatically on power-on. No laptop setup, no pre-flight software configuration. The kit's GPC case is organized so the aircraft and controller come out first, batteries load in seconds, and you're airborne before your ground teams have finished staging. For SAR deployment, the practical setup-to-airborne window for a trained operator is 2 to 3 minutes from vehicle stop.

What training does a SAR team need to operate the M4T?

Any commercial SAR operation — including volunteer SAR teams operating under an agency authorization — requires at minimum an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate for the designated operator. Beyond the FAA requirement, effective SAR drone operation requires mission-specific training in thermal image interpretation, search grid planning in DJI Pilot 2, AI detection tool use, and coordination protocols between the aerial operator and ground teams. DJI Pilot 2 is intuitive and most trained Part 107 pilots are operationally competent with the M4T in 4 to 8 hours of familiarization flight time. For departments standing up a new drone program, we can point you toward training resources and have helped teams develop operational protocols for SAR-specific deployments. Call us — we'll walk you through it.