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DJI's latest Mavic 2 drone is built for search and rescue

The modified Mavic 2 for businesses costs $1,999.

DJI's stacked consumer drones output spans entry-level fliers (the Spark) to high-end behemoths (Mavic 2 Pro). Now it's expanding its commercial lineup with the launch of the Mavic 2 Enterprise (M2E): a starter drone for businesses that don't require the bells and whistles the full-fat Matrice series offers. The latter is already being utilized by Disney and Japanese construction giant Komatsu -- but DJI's newcomer is eyeing the emergency services sector and small-to-medium-sized businesses.

The M2E is essentially a Mavic 2 Zoom tweaked for enterprise. It comes equipped with a 12 megapixel camera, stabilized by a three-axis gimbal for "smooth video and images," and 2x optical and 3x digital zoom. DJI says its imaging hardware can help the M2E "identify and inspect hazardous areas," making it a good fit for emergency services.

The newbie can also be fitted with modular accessories that further boost its search and rescue capabilities. Add-ons include a spotlight with a brightness of 2,400 lumens, a loudspeaker for voice recording playback (not party jams), and a flashing strobe beacon for night-time or low-light missions (or to alert nearby aircraft of its presence).

An additional highlight is DJI's onboard AirSense tech: an integrated receiver that alerts drone pilots of ADS-B signals from nearby aircarft via the DJI Pilot mobile app in real-time. The company describes it as an "extra layer of protection" for operators who fly in congested airspace or near complicated operations, such as wildfire suppression, disaster recovery and infrastructure monitoring. And for those navigating extreme weather conditions, there's the new self-heating battery for sub-zero temperatures. Ultimately, this is a drone for scalability and rapid deployment.

The Mavic 2 Enterprise Universal Edition goes on sale today for $1,999. That price gets you the aircraft, a remote controller, one battery, all three mountable accessories and a protector case with flight tools.