Profile
- Type
- Commercial quadcopter UAV
- Origin
- China
- Service note
- Commercial Mavic family adapted for wartime battlefield use during the Russia-Ukraine War
Aircraft & UAVs
DJI Mavic series
The DJI Mavic series is a family of Chinese commercial folding quadcopters that became a mass battlefield UAV in the Russia-Ukraine War. Although designed for civilian imaging, models such as the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Enterprise have been used by both Ukrainian and Russian forces for short-range ISR, artillery correction, situational awareness, and improvised attack roles.
Service History
- In service
- Civilian commercial platform widely adapted by military units and volunteer supply networks
- Used by
- Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian Armed Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- DJI
- Designed
- Mavic family introduced in the 2010s; Mavic 3 Enterprise family introduced before the 2022 full-scale invasion period
- Built by
- DJI
- Built in
- China
- Unit cost
- Commercial off-the-shelf pricing varies by model and kit
- Produced
- Mavic family in serial commercial production
- Number built
- Commercial production; exact total not publicly reported
- Variants
- Mavic Pro, Mavic 2, Mavic 3, Mavic 3 Enterprise, Mavic 3 Thermal
Specifications
- Configuration
- Foldable battery-powered quadcopter UAV
- Representative weight
- DJI Mavic 3E: 915 g; DJI Mavic 3T/3TA: 920 g
- Maximum takeoff weight
- 1050 g for DJI Mavic 3E/3T/3TA
- Endurance
- Up to 45 minutes in no-wind conditions for Mavic 3 Enterprise variants with the Mavic 3 Series Intelligent Flight Battery
- Maximum flight distance
- Up to 32 km for Mavic 3 Enterprise variants with the Mavic 3 Series Intelligent Flight Battery
- Sensors
- Mavic 3E wide camera uses a 4/3 CMOS 20 MP sensor; Mavic 3T/3TA use a 48 MP wide camera and thermal imaging variants
- Navigation
- GPS, Galileo, BeiDou, and GLONASS support, with GLONASS tied to RTK module use on the listed Enterprise variants
- Armament
- Unarmed commercial UAV; wartime examples have been modified for improvised munition delivery or one-way attack effects
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: UkraineRussia
Used by Ukrainian and Russian forces in large numbers as commercial quadcopter UAVs for tactical reconnaissance, artillery correction, situational awareness, and, when modified, improvised munition dropping or one-way attack effects.
Related Weapon Systems
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DJI Matrice 300 RTKCommercial quadcopter UAVThe DJI Matrice 300 RTK is a Chinese commercial enterprise quadcopter built around long-endurance inspection, mapping, and public-safety payloads. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears as an off-the-shelf UAV in Ukrainian service, where donor-funded sets have been supplied for reconnaissance, observation, and front-line support tasks rather than as a purpose-built military aircraft.
Leleka-100Fixed-wing reconnaissance UAV systemThe Leleka-100 is a Ukrainian fixed-wing ISR unmanned aerial system from DeViRo, built around day/night reconnaissance, jamming-resistant communications, GPS-denied operation, and artillery fire correction. Ukrainian units use the system in the Russia-Ukraine War to find targets, relay corrections to fire units, and assess results while operating from positions behind the front line.
VectorElectric VTOL fixed-wing reconnaissance UAVVector is a German Quantum Systems electric VTOL fixed-wing small UAV built for mid-range intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. In Ukrainian service it provides quiet launch-and-recovery flexibility, encrypted real-time video, EO/IR sensing, and AI-assisted target detection for front-line reconnaissance missions in contested conditions.
A1-CM FuriaFixed-wing tactical reconnaissance UAVThe A1-CM Furia is a Ukrainian electric fixed-wing tactical UAV built by Athlon Avia for reconnaissance and artillery fire correction. Developed after Ukraine's 2014 need for organic battlefield ISR, it gives Ukrainian units a portable sensor platform for locating targets, transmitting video, and adjusting indirect fire under wartime electronic-warfare pressure.
Bayraktar TB2Medium-altitude long-endurance UAVA Turkish unmanned aircraft used for reconnaissance and strike missions. It became especially prominent in the early phase of the full-scale invasion.
Black HornetNano reconnaissance UAVThe Black Hornet is a pocket-sized military nano-UAV used by dismounted troops for short-range reconnaissance, target identification, and immediate situational awareness. In Ukraine, donated Black Hornet 3 systems give small units a low-signature day and thermal sensor that can look over obstacles, into urban terrain, and around trench lines without exposing an operator.Sources
Specs - DJI Mavic 3 EnterprisePublisher: DJI | Note: Official DJI specifications for representative Mavic 3 Enterprise variants, including weight, endurance, flight distance, sensors, and navigation. | Accessed: 2026-06-20About UsPublisher: DJI | Note: Supports DJI manufacturer background and Shenzhen, China headquarters context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Powering the Front: Tactical Energy Delivery and Management in the Ukraine WarPublisher: U.S. Army | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War battlefield use by Ukrainian forces of DJI Mavic series quadcopters for artillery correction and reconnaissance. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Pathways Towards Multi-Domain Integration for UK Robotic and Autonomous SystemsPublisher: Royal United Services Institute | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War use by Ukrainian and Russian militaries of large numbers of commercial DJI Mavic 3 quadcopter UAS for tactical situational awareness and one-way attack effects. | Accessed: 2026-06-20File:DJI Mavic 3.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the primary DJI Mavic 3 image; listed as CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20