DJI Unveils Dock 4, Its First Battery-Swapping Drone Dock

DJI this week announced the Dock 4, its first drone dock that swaps batteries automatically, according to tomshardware.com. The company says the automated swap takes 25 seconds and the drone is back in the air within 45 seconds of landing.

The dock charges two 925 g, 260 Wh battery packs at once, each rated for 400 cycles, and DJI estimates a charge from 15% to 95% at 27 minutes. The unit weighs 66 kg bare and uses the same 400 x 400 mm mounting holes as the Dock 3.

The Dock 4 works only with the Matrice 5TD and requires the DJI O4 Ground Station. DJI rates the dock IP56 and the drone IP55, both for minus 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, with the drone rated for winds up to 12 m/s. The drone carries up to 450 g across three mounts for a speaker, spotlight and parachute, and its on-board AI detects 17 object types.

DJI partners in China are taking orders for a kit of the Dock 4, Matrice 5TD and O4 Ground Station at 167,999 yuan, about $25,000 for hardware alone. DJI's spec sheet for the Dock 4 lists no FCC figures, and the product is not authorized or for sale in the U.S.

Regulatory backdrop

In December 2025, the FCC added all foreign-made drones and their critical components to its Covered List, blocking new models from authorization without a security-risk determination. DJI sued the FCC earlier in 2026. In August 2026, the FCC published a proposal that could pull previously authorized foreign drones carrying LiDAR or thermal sensors, and previously authorized docking stations, from sale; the docket showed no final order as of October 17, and sellers would get 180 days after Federal Register publication to stop importing and marketing covered gear.