In a sleek unveiling ceremony in Shenzhen, China, on June 30, 2025, DJI officially launched the FlyCart 100 (FC100), the most advanced civilian cargo drone in its lineup. With a coaxial rotor design, powerful propulsion, and sophisticated control and safety systems, the FC100 marks a significant leap forward in unmanned aerial logistics. Designed for high-performance civilian applications such as emergency response, firefighting, maritime operations, and infrastructure support in remote areas, the FC100 is intended to redefine the capabilities of autonomous delivery systems.
Yet, behind the commercial presentation lies a deeper and more contentious reality: the FC100’s specifications and design architecture offer substantial dual-use potential, echoing concerns raised by the military use of earlier DJI platforms, particularly in the war in Ukraine.
The FC100’s technical specifications underscore its power and versatility. Built around a coaxial rotor system with four axes and eight rotors, each equipped with 62-inch carbon fiber propellers, the drone achieves maximum rotor thrust of 82 kilograms—a substantial figure in the UAV segment.
Propelled by upgraded motors connected to 420A electronic speed controllers, the FC100 is capable of carrying payloads of up to 80 kilograms with a single battery and 65 kilograms with dual batteries, offering unmatched heavy-lift capacity in its class. It achieves a range of 26 kilometers unloaded, while its maximum flight altitude reaches 6,000 meters, and its service ceiling is 1,500 meters, making it particularly suitable for high-elevation operations.
Its power system is another highlight: the drone uses DJI’s DB2160 batteries, which provide 41 ampere-hours, support hot swapping, feature thermal regulation systems, and are rated for 1,500 charge cycles. A nine-minute charging time using high-capacity charging stations offers unparalleled turnaround speeds for continuous operations.
The FC100’s navigation and safety systems are among the most advanced in DJI’s product line. Its tri-modal obstacle avoidance includes:
- A LiDAR unit capable of scanning at 300,000 points per second
- A millimeter-wave radar for adverse weather detection
- A five-camera fisheye vision system providing 360-degree environmental awareness
These systems enable the drone to conduct terrain-following flights, low-altitude protection, and automated obstacle avoidance, not just for itself, but also for the cargo it carries. This level of autonomy and redundancy offers crucial functionality in complex or unpredictable environments.
The FC100’s emergency parachute system is another standout feature. Activating automatically at altitudes above 80 meters, the parachute can support full payloads, reduce descent speeds to under 7 m/s, and features self-diagnostics, audible and visual alerts, and independent power for maximum reliability. Redundant triggering mechanisms ensure safe deployment in case of signal jamming, motor failure, or even electromagnetic disruption.
Control of the FC100 is handled through the new RC Plus 2 system, which includes a 7-inch, 1,400-nit touchscreen. DJI’s O4 transmission protocol allows 20-kilometer video and control range, and optional 4G video modules and the D-RTK3 relay station ensure continued operation in signal-degraded zones.
DJI’s Delivery App supports route planning with augmented reality interfaces, multi-camera viewing, and automated flight path optimization, while the DeliveryHub software enables centralized control, mission planning, fleet coordination, and real-time team communication, giving operators comprehensive oversight over complex logistics operations.
Despite DJI’s insistence that the FC100 is a purely non-military platform, the line between civilian and military applications has become increasingly blurred—particularly in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where DJI’s Mavic series drones played a pivotal role.
During the war, DJI drones were employed by both sides for reconnaissance, artillery correction, surveillance, and in many cases, modified for munition delivery. The ease of access, affordability, and reliable telemetry made DJI drones indispensable to tactical units.
The AeroScope system, developed by DJI for airspace monitoring, became a flashpoint when Ukrainian officials accused it of enabling Russian forces to locate Ukrainian drone operators. While DJI denied any collusion and eventually discontinued AeroScope, the incident laid bare the dual-use vulnerabilities of commercially available drones.
By mid-2023, Ukrainian drone losses were averaging 10,000 per month, highlighting both their ubiquity and vulnerability. Despite DJI’s 2022 decision to halt sales to both Russia and Ukraine, large-scale acquisitions continued through third-party distributors. Procurement records show Ukraine purchased over 8,000 Mavic 3E and 3T drones, worth $30 million, through military and civilian channels.
Russian forces reportedly obtained over 100,000 DJI drones via indirect procurement over an eight-month period, largely through countries like Kazakhstan, China, and the UAE. Both nations now rely increasingly on domestic drone production, but DJI platforms remain the reference standard for battlefield quadcopters.
By 2025, Ukraine reported that 96% of all UAV procurement funds were allocated to domestic manufacturers. Government incentives spurred startups and defense firms to reverse-engineer or replicate Mavic-like drones, though engineers acknowledged the challenges of matching DJI’s performance and build quality.
At least ten Ukrainian companies introduced quadcopters styled after DJI designs, many with open-source software and modular components to avoid reliance on Chinese hardware.
Russia too is investing in domestic drone production, with expansion of facilities to build Shahed-136 loitering munitions and other rotary-wing platforms, but reports suggest continued dependency on Chinese parts persists—particularly in optics, flight controllers, and batteries.
Although DJI positions the FC100 as a civilian cargo platform, its specifications are virtually indistinguishable from military-grade heavy-lift drones used by the U.S., Russia, UK, and Israel.
Military-relevant attributes:
- High payload capacity (up to 80 kg)
- Extended altitude and range capabilities
- Resilient propulsion and power systems
- Automated navigation and obstacle avoidance
- Integrated command-and-control ecosystem
- Rapid deployment and low infrastructure requirements
- These characteristics make the FC100 potentially ideal for:
- Combat resupply in contested zones
- Deployment of battlefield sensors
- Transport of medical kits or munitions
- Special operations support in denied airspace
With little modification, it could be adapted for autonomous cargo drops, ammunition delivery, or surveillance.
DJI continues to walk a diplomatic tightrope, facing pressure from Western governments over its alleged ties to the Chinese state, while seeking to protect commercial interests in sectors like logistics, agriculture, and public safety.
Following the AeroScope controversy and export controls introduced by China in 2023, DJI restricted exports of high-performance drones, leading to claims by Ukrainian officials that access had become increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, DJI drones were reportedly still reaching Russian buyers through unofficial distributors.
The U.S. Department of Defense has already blacklisted DJI, categorizing it as a Chinese military company under the FY2021 NDAA. The European Union has taken a more nuanced approach, with some member states continuing to use DJI drones in public safety roles, though scrutiny is increasing.
The FC100’s release underscores a growing global challenge: how to regulate and govern drone technologies that are civilian in design but military in potential. As autonomous aerial platforms become cheaper, more powerful, and more accessible, the likelihood of their use in non-conventional conflicts increases.
Experts warn that companies like DJI, regardless of stated intent, must reckon with the consequences of their technologies being repurposed for war. Nations lacking advanced air forces may increasingly turn to commercial UAVs as substitutes for traditional aircraft, further blurring the lines between commercial innovation and combat readiness.
With the launch of the FC100, DJI has once again redefined the limits of what commercial drones can do. The platform’s extraordinary lift, speed, autonomy, and software integration place it at the forefront of civilian UAV logistics. But in an era where warfighters in trenches modify off-the-shelf drones for battlefield advantage, the boundaries between civilian innovation and military application are no longer theoretical—they’re real, immediate, and highly consequential.
