The end of the DJI Mavic 3 era. How will the military live without the chinese drone and where are Ukrainian counterparts?

Since the beginning of 2025, the Chinese company DJI has stopped their production. All Mavic 3, which arrives in different corners of the world, are residuals.

Instead, dji Introduced The new drone of the series is Mavic 4 Pro. It should be the replacement of one of the most popular in the world with the company, logically continuing a series of simple in the development and universal functionality of drones.

It would seem that there are no problems, but the question is not only in the drones themselves, but also in the infrastructure. Remote, antennas, batteries, software, fastening systems – many will have to be replaced.

In addition, the political factor remains risky. Zelensky is already statedthat China limits the sale of drones of this type to Europe, but at the same time helps Russia.

Because of this, two logical questions arise: how painful the disappearance of DJI Mavic 3 will be to the forces of defense and why, given our dependence on China, a close partner of Russia, Ukraine has not been able to create its own analogue “Mavika”, with more than 200 drones manufacturers?

The third generation “Mavik” is the basis of tactical intelligence and the most massive drone in the defense forces of Ukraine. In the combat and training units, there are hundreds of thousands. This drone is the basis of tactical intelligence. He performs intelligence on the front edge and destroys the live power and light -arranged enemy equipment with the help of a system of discharges – fastenings on which various ammunition is hung.

DJI Mavic 3 drone with discharges and different types of ammunition. Photo: YouTube / Lazeruk

As the “defenders” said in the State Technolastramer Brave1, The need for one battalion for different DJI Mavic drones can reach several hundred a month. All because they are very often lost. There are combat losses, losses during unfavorable weather, losses during crew training, mistakes when handling drone and electronics failure.

The peculiarity of Mavic drones from other UAVs, including Matrice drones, is that they are semi-professional, that is, designed for ordinary users without any significant professional training. The first flights of the drone operator can be performed after 3-4 days of study.

The main thing in DJI drones – you can get them here and now. Tremendous by Europe’s standards of productionva in hundreds of thousands or even millions of drones per yearThe question is not to the lack of equipment in the market, but to the availability of money.

Around this drone formed its ecosystem. These are professionally trained pilots and training centers, purchased antennas, additional batteries, discharges, variable propellars and legs, repair accessories and more.

Expert in the field of electronic wrestling and radio -electronic intelligence Sergey “Flash” Beskrestnov in the UNIAN comment notedthat there is a sufficient number of third “Maviiki” in the defense forces of Ukraine, which will be possible to disassemble for spare parts repair. For some time, this number of components and units should be enough. The interlocutors of “defense” in the units of the unmanned SUU systems also agree with this.

According to a specialist in aerial intelligence of the special unit “Hells of Horne”, large volumes of “Mavicians” and so buy in the secondary market. Its unit uses drones after several years of operation in Europe or the US. For example, for one used day drone, our interlocutor could pay about 40 thousand UAH. In this case, the price for a new day drone will actually start from 90 thousand. UAH. “Mavik” with a thermal imager in the secondary market was to be purchased for 80-100 thousand UAH, when for the new military they should pay more than 180 thousand UAH.

A soldier of the 77th Separate Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces launches drone DJI Mavic 3. Source Photo: 77 Oaembra

However, the price of the third “Mavik” is gradually increasingThere is, and this is the cause of the disruption of public procurement. So since the beginning of 2025 the State Secretariat, according to Censor, is at least four times already Threaded Tenders for the purchase of drones Mavic 3T and Mavic 3E. This is due to the expected price of drones, which is much lower than the current market. For example, the Mavic 3e drones planned to buy for 96 thousand UAH, counting on a reduction in the price of auction. In reality, the market price of these drones has already exceeded 100 thousand UAH.

Now all new drones on the front are sent from warehouses and the main thing remains: how in the conditions of intense fighting to switch to a new type of intelligence drone? Both Russians and Ukrainians will have to rebuild the entire Mavic 3 ecosystem in a few months.

With the problem of absence of Mavic 3 and components to them.I am in the hostile army. Already, they have focused on the purchase of large volumes of components for drones that remain on the market. Probably the enemy still plays his hand forward. In the captured territories, Russian units find hundreds of whipped or left “Maviiki”, which are disassembled and used as spare parts for existing park. They write about it enemy’s military bloggers on their TVGram-channels.

According to the interviewees of the “defense” of military and experts in the field of UAV, spare parts for the third “Maviikiv” can be purchased by the end of 2025. However, this will be accompanied by a gradual increase in price and the possible appearance on the market of a large number of defective spare parts.

So is there an alternative to Mavic 3 drones? Certainly, the first according to the already mentioned DJI Mavic 4 Pro, presented this month. It was through the start of its production that the company clogged the production of the previous model. The price of a new generation drone starts from € 2169, or from about 100 thousand UAH. It is about the basic complete set.

It is presented in May 2025 by a semi -professional drone Mavic 4 Pro, which DJI seeks to replace the third “Mavic”. Photo: DJI Enterprise

DJI Mavic 4 Pro stored a three -chamber configuration from its predecessor and received an OCUSYNC O4+data transmission system. The main improvement in the drone was developed in conjunction with the Swedish Hasselblad, the main 100-megapixel camera. It supports 6K’s shooting at 60FPS, delayed video in 4K/120FPS and has up to 16 dynamic ranges.

Autel Evo Max 4T drones can be another option for MAVIC 3T replacement. A number of military units are already purchasing and mastering these drones. However, Autel drones have a number of disadvantages. First of all, they are more expensive by at least 100 thousand UAH, which is important in the conditions of limited financial resources.

There is another option – a professional DJI Matrice 4T. But this product of DJI is much more complex, complex and expensive, compared to Mavic 3 created for the inhabitant. The new Matrice 4T has other programs, control systems, remotes, antenna complexes, batteries, cables and more. It is positioned as a professional drone for industrial tasks.

It has a new and more sophisticated architecture, a much more stable relationship and an even better optical zoom. In addition, the drone can be guided not by GPS, but by the object on which it is focused. Moreover, it can keep it “in the sight” at a distance of up to 500 meters, but Mavic 3 “holds” the target of only 50 m. This is a drone of a completely different level, it is an option for professional special units. For the average military, many of its functions are simply excessive.

DJI Matrice 4T professional drone. Photo: DJI Enterprise

The issue of the transition to the new drone is also resting in the factor in the availability of military flashing, that is, software. Mavic 3 drones have the ability to put it. One of the most popular versions is called “1001”. At one time Ukrainian specialists “intercepted” She was integrated into their drones.

What is the essence of the military “firmware”? In fact, it allows you to integrate a number of functions required for military operation. For example, if a drone has restrictions on work in a certain area, the firmware transfer it to another country or in general to another continent, where there are no restrictions for work. If Mavik loses the connection, the program will automatically lift it to a higher height so that it can restore the signal from the operator. With the Mavik military firmware, he will fly on a compass, and in case of loss of communication during departure – will return to the start.

There is no guarantee that DJI will leave vulnerability in the software of a new Mavic 4Pro and will allow you to integrate a military flash. By in words Flash, standard “1001” no longer stands on it.

Officially, DJI opposes the use of its product in military conflicts. However, in fact, the company is unlikely to finally be closed from military modifications and to give up the great profits generated by the Russian-Ukrainian war. The only question is how long the development and implementation of a new solution will take.

Finding Mavic 3 alternatives, market shortages and headache, and the headache of the new model in the front infrastructure, once again illustrate the eternal problem of the Ukrainian drone industry – we are critical of supply from China both ready -made drones and components.

According to the State Customs Service, only in January-March 2025 Ukraine imported 127.8 thousand civilian drones. At the same time, 98% of this amount were from China.

And even if the restrictions on the exports of drones that China has repeatedly announced, in practice, did not close our access to drones, then with the change of business plans of key manufacturers, such as withdrawal from the production of the most convenient and massive model, Ukraine will not be able to do anything.

And if China still decides to finally stand on the side of Russia and put even more obstacles for the purchase of the new generation of Maviics, then there will be not much alternatives. Therefore, logic again leads us to talk about our own production of drones from this segment.

When will the Ukrainian “Mavik” be? In Ukraine, they have already learned how to make quality and inexpensive FPV-oules. But there is a big difference between the intelligence drone and the shock drone, especially the drone-Kamikadze.

According to Brave1 specialist in unmanned aviation equipment, about ten teams, which have flight prototypes and are actively working on their models, are working on the cluster over the cluster over the creation of the Mavika analogue “Mavika”. At the same time, any of the developers has not yet succeeded in approaching the level of Chinese UAVs.

One of the samples of the Ukrainian tactical drone-Bomber in the niche Mavic 3 during the test flight at the landfill. Photo source: Brave1

“Actually making a drone that simply stabilizes and somehow removes – not a problem. But that it is small, quiet, so that it is with a cool camera and most importantly – with an interface that even a child can use, that’s where there is difficulty. And in general, and all these components, except for the interface, are already dredged. Vyriy Drone.

Ukrainian developers also have problems with communication systems and a drone flight data network. The latter is necessary for analyzing the behavior of the drone in different weather and regime conditions. DJI, for example, collects data Of the drones around the world, having the opportunity to analyze all this information and make improvements into the software. Ukrainian companies do not have this opportunity. In their work, they rely on oral recommendations and written reviews from military units. It takes more time to process this data, and the sample does not allow all the drawbacks, as the Chinese company can do with its product.

“Dji Super product company. Their techniques of working with the client are directly perfect. There is every buttock, every joystick is so made so that a person is taken and immediately can be intuitive.

Another Ukrainian development in the niche Mavic 3 before landfill. Photo source: Brave1

According to the “defenders” specialist Brave1, most of the Ukrainian “Mavika” projects are based on a frame of 10 or 12 inches used for the production of FPV-punks. Each team manufactures its own frame autonomously, which on the one hand increases its own independence from the purchase of a component base, but on the other – it will be a rise in its production.

Flight controllers buy at Chinese Matek Systems. The drone stabilization system demonstrates good in combat conditions, but cannot repeat DJI levels. This is a problem for operators that will pay more attention to the management and stability of the drone in flight. In terms of cameras, unnamed Chinese, European and American analogues of the Hasselblad Swedish cameras from DJI drones are purchased, but they are more expensive than the mass in the production of Chinese flagship.

The reconnaissance drone “Schmavik” of Ukrainian production. Photo source: UNIAN

The advantage of Ukrainian decisions can be Actually software, which is immediately developed for military needs. For example, the developer of the Ukrainian drone “Shmavik” in an interview for Forbes toldwhat Immediately, he put an automatic change in the frequency to counteract the enemy HRs and the possibility of switching to manual control in the detection of obstacles in the flight program.

For the challenge tests in combat conditions, the company produced 300 “Schmavics”. It will produce engines, control systems, and in the future-cameras of its own development, thus proving the production of components to “Schmavik” in Poland at 80-90%.

The developers planned to produce 2500 drones a month last summer. As it really is – it is unknown, but in practice it is not at all visible that this decision becomes mass.

The Ukrainian drone “Lens”, which exists in intelligence and shock modifications during presentation events. Photo source: Brave1

Another development that can become an alternative to Chinese is the Ukrainian drone “Lens”. The reconnaissance version of this drone is created on the basis of a drone bomber, which is able to carry ammunition weighing up to 2 kg. UAV is equipped with a thermal imaging chamber and is designed for shelter management. Currently, Dron manufacturer plans to improve the technology of its product by optimizing many components.

The disadvantage is that most Ukrainian projects are based on FPV-puzzles or bombard drones, and are not developed from scratch as a convenient and unpretentious drone drone.

The delay in the development of drones is also influenced by personnel hunger. Professional engineers are now lacking due to mobilization, outflow abroad and great competition in the market. However, even with these problems, the work on the analogue “Mavik” continues, says Alexei Babenko. His developers team is right now on a drone in the Mavic 3 niche.

“What will be the advantages? It is four times larger. It is a comparable camera, that is, in the first version it will be worse than Mavic 3 PRO, but better than Mavic 3 Classic, but in the second version it will be comparable to the Mavic 3 Pro. The connection, because we are in principle to work on the front, not civilian life. Without reading the instructions, the second minus is the first version.

The company plans to deploy mass production by the end of the summer. Babenko has set a goal in half a year to develop production capabilities to satisfy at least half of the entire front need. At the same time, according to him, the majority of purchases will be carried out by military units and charitable funds, the orders of which will be enough for the first time. That is, the developers of “Ukrainian Mavik” do not have to hope for the state as the main customer of their product. Usually the state is included in the contract a few months from the emergence of an effective solution.

In a large number of Ukrainian teams of developers there is also a problem – lack of unification. Each drone developed in Ukraine has its own controls and controls, their communication and data systems, individual batteries and propeller and unique flight characteristics. The military is faced with non -standard solutions, which is strikingly different from the unified “Mavica”. This creates the risk of overloading the training and military logistics system.

Transfer of a party from 300 DJI Mavic 3T Thermal Defense Forces. Photo Source: Mikhail Fedorov

When it comes to mass supply to the troops, it is not a fact that Ukrainian production capacity will be able to meet the need for defense forces. The same Chinese DJI has been collecting the best solutions around the world, copying them, or buying them controlling stakes in Europe. The best example is the already mentioned Swedish Hasselblad, which manufactures cameras for Chinese drones, and since 2017 is controlled by DJI. Thus, for the production of Mavic drones, the Chinese have created a closed ecosystem, in which they are not fundamentally dependent on global changes in the world.

Ukrainian manufacturers take different solutions from external suppliers and as a designer collect the finished product.

At the output of the development, it turns out that Ukrainian UAVs will not have significant advantages over the base “Mavic” in price, and components will have a Chinese origin, which the state would prefer to avoid.

The first Ukrainian FPV-Dron, composed of components of domestic production. Photo Source: Vyriy Drone

Ideally, the state should stimulate the production of components in Ukraine, but it is inhibited by market rules. Currently, there is a discriminatory norm that releases import components for drones from VAT, and there is no similar privilege for domestic manufacturers. Accordingly, the manufacturers of the final product are more profitable to buy Chinese rather than Ukrainian.

The Ukrainian military is waiting for the emergence of Ukrainian analogues “Mavika”. The process of emergence of appropriate domestic technology cannot occur instantly, and therefore local manufacturers need to quickly go through all the stages that have been passed by their Chinese colleagues: from the choice of the best foreign components, albeit at the beginning it will significantly increase the cost of drones, and to develop their own programs and components. With increasing the production of drones and the development of new components, the prices for drones will gradually decrease. They will also grow their quality and reliability, which is one of the key factors to work in the troops.

But so far, the Ukrainian Defense Complex has no own decisions for replacement “Mavika”, so it is necessary to adapt to economic and political realities.

But what is good in Ukraine is good-it is FPV. There are many ready -made solutions that are limited only by the availability of money. Fighters The anti-tank company of the 13th Brigade of NSU “Khartia” is collected for equipment for FPV-oules, which will allow to beat Russian invaders in Kharkiv region even more precisely and much further than they expect it. Help the military You can at this link.