DHS addendum puts DJI ahead in urban drone tests, with a positioning failure caveat

Previously undisclosed DJI scores provide a clearer comparison with Blue UAS aircraft in DHS's complex urban assessment. According to the addendum obtained by DroneXL, both DJI models outscored the Skydio and Parrot aircraft on every measured criterion.

Public-safety teams weighing fleet replacements gain evidence about camera performance, communications and deployment speed in difficult urban conditions. The documented positioning failure also underscores that strong aggregate scores do not eliminate mission-specific risks, while the assessment leaves national-security questions unresolved.

DroneXL obtained a DHS assessment addendum containing DJI performance scores omitted from the public Blue UAS report. In July 2025 testing at Hudson Yards, evaluators scored the Matrice 4T at 4.6 out of 5 and the Matrice 30T at 4.3, compared with 3.7 for the Skydio X10D and 2.4 for the Parrot ANAFI USA GOV. Both DJI models scored higher across all nine criteria, covering cameras, flight duration, communications and operator usability. The results add detail to a public report that acknowledged significant differences without identifying their direction. They also expose an operational limitation: one Matrice 30T lost satellite and vision positioning at night, drifted into a structure and became unusable. For public-safety procurement, the findings distinguish measured field performance from security considerations. The assessment evaluated operator experience, not statutory national-security risk, so the scores do not resolve the policy debate over DJI restrictions.

Evidence supplied by DroneXL.