DJI Phantom

The DJI Phantom is a series of quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed by Chinese technology company DJI.

Released in 2013, the first Phantom was an entry-level drone with an affordable price and much more user-friendly experiences compared to other drones on the market at the time. The DJI Phantom was considered the first commercially successful recreational drone and one of the most influential drone design ever made. With its accessibility, it quickly captured the consumer drone market from hobbyists, professionals, and introduced the modern aerial photography drone form factor to the general public.[1][2][3]

Design and development

Phantom 1 series

The Phantom 1, originally known as the Phantom, was released on January 7, 2013.

Phantom 3 series

In April 2015, DJI released the first two third-generation Phantom models; the Phantom 3 Professional and Phantom 3 Advanced.[22] The Phantom 3 introduced a visual positioning system, allowing it to hold its position without GPS and improving positioning indoors and outdoors.[22] The drone uses a Lightbridge video transmission system, allowing for stable connection up to 5km and replacing the Wi-Fi system of previous models, though range limitations vary by market.[23][24] Both models feature a Sony Exmor 1/2.3" camera, with the Professional being capable of shooting 4K video at 30 FPS while the Advanced is limited to 2.7K video at 30 FPS. Both models are also capable of shooting 1080p video at 60 FPS, use GPS and GLONASS for navigation, and are powered by a 4480 mAh battery, giving them a flight time of approximately 23 minutes.[25][26]

The Phantom 3 Standard was released in August 2015 as a cheaper alternative to the Advanced and Professional.[27] Like the previous models, the Standard features a 1/2.3" camera, which is capable of shooting both 2.7K and 1080p video at 30 FPS as well as 720p video at 60 FPS.[28] Unlike the other models, Standard retains the Wi-Fi transmission system and lacks the vision positioning system as well as GLONASS compatibility.[27][28]

The Phantom 3 4K was released in January 2016.[29] Similar to the Standard, the Phantom 3 4K is uses a Wi-Fi video transmission system, but is also fitted with the visual positioning system and 4K Sony Exmor camera of the Professional.[30][31]

The Phantom 3 SE was originally released exclusively in China in early March 2017, though a worldwide release came in August of that year to select markets.[32][33] An improved version of the Phantom 3 4K, the SE's video transmission system was upgraded to transmit live 720p video to the controller, up from the 4K's 480p live video. The drone's range was also increased from 1.2 km to 4 km, though this is restricted in some markets.[32][34] The SE uses the same 4480 mAh battery as previous models, though flight time was slightly increased to 25 minutes.[35][34]

Phantom 4 series

The Phantom 4, released in March 2016, introduced a new outer shell design as well as a push-and-release propeller locking mechanism.[36] An obstacle avoidance system was added, which uses four cameras (two facing forward and two downward) and an ultrasonic sensor.[36] The drone also introduced the ActiveTrack and TapFly features, with the former allowing the drone to autonomously track moving objects, including people, with its camera while the latter allowing the drone to be controlled by tapping on the video stream in the DJI app.[36][37][38] The drone is equipped with a 1/2.3" camera with an electronic shutter capable of shooting 4K video at 30 FPS or 1080p video at 120 FPS, while a new 5350 mAh battery gives it a flight time of approximately 28 minutes.[36][39][40]

The Phantom 4 Pro was released in November 2016 with a new 20-megapixel Exmor R camera featuring a 1 in CMOS sensor.[41][42] The obstacle avoidance system was also upgraded rearward-facing sensors as well as infrared sensors on both sides.[43] The Phantom 4 Pro+, offered alongside the Pro, features a controller with a 5.5-inch screen and an integrated flight app, allowing it to be flown without a separate mobile device.[41][44] The Pro uses Model 9450S propellers and is powered by a 5870 mAh battery, giving it a fight time of approximately 30 minutes.[42][44] During the 2017 IFA Berlin trade show, DJI announced a new version of the Pro/Pro+ as the Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian and Pro+ Obsidian, respectively. The Pro/Pro+ Obsidian is largely identical to the baseline Pro/Pro+, differing only in that both the drone and remote have a matte black color and that the camera and gimbal are made of magnesium and have an

The Phantom 4 Advanced was announced on 13 April 2017 as a replacement for the Phantom 4.[40] The drone features an upgraded camera with a 1-inch CMOS sensor and a mechanical shutter, capable of shooting 4K video at 60 FPS.[40][47] The drone is capable of processing H.264 video at 60 FPS and H.265 video at 30 FPS.[40] Like the Pro, the Advanced was also offered with a controller with a 5.5-inch screen as the Phantom 4 Advanced+.[40]

In May 2018, DJI quietly released an upgraded version of the Phantom 4 Pro/Pro+ as the Phantom 4 Pro/Pro+ V2.0.[48] The Pro V2.0 retains the camera of the Pro, but features an OcuSync transmission system, improved ESCs, and Model 9455S low-noise propellers which are backwards compatible with the original Pro.[42] Production of the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 was suspended in late 2018 or early 2019 due to what DJI called "a shortage of parts from a supplier", though DJI denied rumors that the Phantom was being discontinued.[49][50] Production was restarted in January 2020 after the supply issue was sorted out.[50]

Released in October 2018, the Phantom 4 RTK was designed for aerial mapping and surveying. Based on the Pro, the Phantom 4 RTK added a real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning module capable of connecting to GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou satellites.[51][52] In addition to RTK, it uses a redundant GNSS module, installed to maintain flight stability in regions with poor signal.[53] The drone is fitted with an FC6310R camera, which is identical to the Exmor R camera of the Phantom 4 Pro but with a glass lens instead a plastic one. The Phantom 4 RTK records images only in JPEG format and videos in MOV format.[54][55]

An agricultural model of the Phantom 4 was announced on 25 September 2019 as the P4 Multispectral, dropping the Phantom name.[56] Based on the Phantom 4 RTK, the P4 Multispectral integrates a six-sensor camera array, which includes an RGB camera and five narrow-band sensors, being the first drone to do so.[57][58] The P4 Multispectral uses Model 9455S low-noise propellers as standard, though standard Phantom 4 propellers are also compatible at the cost of reduced performance.[59] Battery capacity remained at 5870 mAh, but flight time was slightly reduced to approximately 27 minutes.[60]

Details of a replacement for the Phantom 4 RTK were leaked in March 2022 as the Phantom 4 RTK SE. The leak did not reveal any significant changes between the RTK and RTK SE, but did note that the latter would not include an Intelligent Flight Battery charger and that the power cord wattage would be reduced from 160W to 100W.[61] The Phantom 4 RTK SE was listed for sale on the DJI website as late as January 2023.[62]

Accidents and incidents

26 January 2015

A Phantom FC40 crashed into a tree on the South Lawn near the White House in the early morning.[113][114][115] US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were in India at the time of the incident, though both of their daughters were at the White House.[113] The pilot was identified as Shawn Usman, a scientist of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency who was flying the drone recreationally at around 3 a.m. when he lost control of it.[113][115] Usman told Secret Service investigators that had been drinking shortly before he lost control, and that he had gone to bed shortly thereafter, only contacting the authorities later in the morning after friends notified him of news reports of the incident.[116] The drone was not detected by the White House's radar system due to its size, but was seen by Secret Service officers who were unable to bring it down.[113] Investigators concluded that the incident was unintentional and Usman was not charged with a crime, though the Federal Aviation Administration reviewed the incident for a possible administrative action.[115] In response to the incident, DJI released a firmware update for the Phantom 2 family to prevent them from flying within 25 km of Washington, D.C., centered around the Washington Monument.[117] Aviation had been heavily restricted within 10 nmi of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport since the September 11 attacks, though Usman stated that he was unaware that the restrictions also applied to small drones.[115]

18 February 2016

A recreational drone pilot crashed their drone, a Phantom, during a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.[118] No one was injured. The drone reportedly landed near the Memorial's Director and former defence minister Brendan Nelson, who picked it up and subsequently handed it to security staff.[119] Following a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) investigation, the pilot was fined $900, which, according to a CASA spokesman, closed the matter.[119]

11 June 2016

Stephanie Creignou was attending a 5K run in Beloeil, Quebec when a Phantom 3 fell and hit her on the head.[120] She was taken to hospital, where she was diagnosed with whiplash.[120] As of 22 June, she was still out of work and had to cancel a holiday with her husband.[120] Rosaire Turcotte, who operated the UAV that crashed, said he couldn't understand how it happened and that he'd acted safely.[120] The incident was caught by a camera on a different UAV, one owned by VTOL-X Drones, a company hired to cover the event.[120] VTOL-X CEO Flavio Martenkowski said he had spoken to Turcotte about the danger of flying so near to a crowd just before the crash.[120] The

21 September 2017

A civilian Phantom 4 collided with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in the evening over the eastern shore of Staten Island, New York City, United States.[121] The helicopter was one of two with the 82nd Airborne Division flying out of Fort Bragg on duty for the United Nations General Assembly.[121] The helicopters were able to continue flying and landed at Linden Airport.[121] Nobody was hurt, but part of the UAV was found at the bottom of the main rotor system.[121] In December 2017, the National Transportation Safety Board issued an accident report into the collision, finding the pilot of the UAV at fault.[122] The UAV operator deliberately flew the UAV 2.5 miles away from himself and was unaware of the helicopters' presence.[122]

alt	a Phantom 2 Vision+ in the air
aircraft type	Unmanned aerial vehicle
national origin	China
manufacturer	DJI
construction date	2013–c. 2023
introduction	January 2013

Design and development

Phantom 1 series

Phantom 2 series

Phantom 3 series

Phantom 4 series

Phantom 5 rumors and replacement

Operational history

Variants

Phantom 1

Phantom 2

Phantom 3

Phantom 4

Operators

Government operators

Military operators

Non-state operators

Accidents and incidents

Aircraft on display

Specifications (Phantom 4 Pro V2.0)

See also

External links

References