DJI
The DJI Mavic 3M is a mapping and crop scouting aircraft, not a spray drone. It pairs a 20 MP 4/3 RGB camera with four 5 MP multispectral bands (green, red, red edge and near infrared) plus a pre-mounted RTK module, flies 43 minutes and covers up to 200 hectares (roughly 494 acres) per flight. Because it dispenses nothing, mapping flights need only FAA Part 107 and no Part 137 certificate. US enterprise dealer pricing in 2026 runs $5,699 to $5,919. Made in China and not NDAA Section 848 compliant.
The DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral, sold as the Mavic 3M, is a survey and crop scouting aircraft rather than an application platform. It has no spray tank, no dry hopper and no boom, so it cannot apply anything. What it carries instead is a 20 MP 4/3 CMOS RGB camera with a mechanical shutter alongside four 5 MP multispectral sensors covering green (560 ±16 nm), red (650 ±16 nm), red edge (730 ±16 nm) and near infrared (860 ±26 nm). A built-in light sensor on top of the airframe records ambient irradiance during the flight so index values stay comparable between flights and between days. The RTK module ships pre-mounted and delivers 1 cm + 1 ppm horizontal and 1.5 cm + 1 ppm vertical accuracy when fixed, which is what lets operators skip ground control points on survey work. Net weight with propellers and the RTK module is 951 g and max takeoff weight is 1,050 g, so the aircraft sits far below the 55 lb threshold and flies under standard FAA Part 107 rules with no Part 137 certificate needed. Max flight time is 43 minutes, max hover time is 37 minutes and DJI states coverage of up to 200 hectares (roughly 494 acres) per flight, though real coverage falls as you drop altitude for tighter ground sample distance. Wind resistance is 12 m/s (26.8 mph), roughly double what the Agras spray platforms tolerate, because there is no spray drift constraint to respect. The 5000 mAh, 15.4 V, 77 Wh Intelligent Flight Battery recharges in about 70 minutes through the charging hub with a DJI 100W USB-C adapter. DJI states the aircraft isn't waterproof and publishes no IP rating. Made in China and not NDAA Section 848 compliant.
Best for
Operators selling NDVI and NDRE crop scouting, RGB orthomosaic mapping, variable rate prescriptions or drainage and elevation surveys, plus spray operators adding a dedicated mapping aircraft alongside an Agras fleet
Official resources
No. The Mavic 3M is a mapping and scouting aircraft with no tank, no hopper and no spray boom. It gathers the imagery that becomes NDVI and NDRE maps, RGB orthomosaics, digital surface models and variable rate prescriptions. The application itself is done by a separate spray platform such as a DJI Agras T50 or a Hylio AG-272. Plenty of operators fly both and sell the map and the pass together.
No. Part 137 governs the aerial dispensing of economic poisons and other agricultural articles. The Mavic 3M dispenses nothing, so mapping and scouting flights need only FAA Part 107 plus the usual airspace authorization. At 951 g it is also far below the 55 lb threshold that would require a Section 44807 exemption. That low regulatory barrier is why mapping is a common entry point into ag drone work.
DJI states up to 200 hectares, roughly 494 acres, on a single 43 minute battery. Real coverage depends on the altitude you fly, the ground sample distance the customer needs and your image overlap setting. Tighter GSD for early stress detection means lower altitude and fewer acres per battery, so quote from a measured range on your own fields rather than from the headline figure.
It records ambient irradiance during the flight, and the multispectral readings are corrected against it. That is what makes an NDVI map flown under thin cloud comparable to one flown in full sun. Without that correction, week over week scouting comparisons drift with the weather instead of tracking the crop, which is the whole point of a monitoring program.
US enterprise dealers listed the Mavic 3M between $5,699 and $5,919 in 2026, before a DJI Care Enterprise plan. Budget for mapping software on top of that, typically Pix4Dfields or DJI Terra. Pricing on Chinese-made drones has moved with tariff policy since 2025, so treat any published figure as a starting point and get a current dealer quote.
No. It is manufactured in China by DJI, a covered entity under NDAA Section 848, and DJI was added to the FCC Covered List effective December 2025. Federal contracts and federally funded programs are generally closed to it. Private farm mapping contracts are not subject to NDAA restrictions, but confirm eligibility with your state department of agriculture before you count on any cost-share program.
FAA Part 107 certified and fully insured drone mapping operator based in Rochester, New York. Operates a DJI Mavic 3M with RGB and multispectral cameras. Specializes in RGB orthomosaic maps, vegetation index mapping, variable rate prescriptions and digital surface modeling.
Add your business to the directory and connect with farmers searching for operators who fly the DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral (Mavic 3M).
List your business freeThe weekly read for spray drone operators. What changed in the rules, the rates, the weather and the gear. Over 1,200 operators read it.
For drone operators
One email a week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.