On Saturday 4th August, as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gave a speech in Caracas before a large military gathering, two DJI Matrice M600 drones carrying explosives approached,and exploded close to the President. While President Maduro was not injured, the Venezuelan information minister Jorge Rodriguez said that the attack injured seven soldiers. It’s a method of assault that only a few years ago was unthinkable, but has quickly become inevitable and will probably become more common.
What isn’t clear though, was who was operating the drone and for what purpose. One theory is that the Venezuelan government or military were operating their own M600 drone and when they lost control they had to destroy it. Another possible theory is the drone malfunctioned and exploded (the M600 carries 6 x 130 wh lithium polymer batteries who could explode). The Venezuelan goverment claim it was an assassination attempt and two DJI Matrice M600 drones were each laden with 1 kilogram of C-4 explosive, capable of creating a blast radius of 50 meters. One exploded mid air and the other crashed into a block of flats, which firefighter initiall said was a gas tank explosion.
Video here
The DJI M600 is generally considered a professional-grade drone, primarily for filmmakers and photographers, but has a strong build, and is capable of lifting a 6 kilo payload.
DJI Matrice M600 drone, as per the drone used that exploded in Venezuela
