DJI Mini 4 Pro Night Flying Light Dilemma Under New UK Drone Rules

[N88CRU]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here so I hope this is in the right place!

I Just picked up a DJI Mini 4 Pro from Currys last week – it's got the C0 label and weighs exactly 249g on my scales.


With the new UK drone rules in effect from today (1 January 2026), night flying requires a flashing green anti-collision light visible to other aircraft.


The Mini 4 Pro does have built-in flashing green LEDs on the rear arms, but annoyingly, they turn off automatically when you start recording video (to reduce light pollution in footage, apparently). So for actual night recording, they're not on.


The issue is that even the lightest third-party strobes push the total weight over 250g.


From what I've read on the CAA site and recent guides:

• During the transitional period (2026-2027), EU C0 drones like the Mini 4 Pro are treated as equivalent to UK0.
• As long as it stays under 250g, it can fly in the Open A1 subcategory ("fly over uninvolved people" – but not assemblies/crowds).
• If it goes over 250g (even slightly, due to the strobe), it becomes a legacy drone over 250g, restricted to Open A3 ("far from people"): at least 150m from residential/recreational/commercial/industrial areas, no overflying uninvolved people.

C1/UK1 drones can weigh up to 900g and still fly in A1. DJI used to let us apply C1 stickers/change the class by contacting them on the Mini 4 Pro, but that's no longer available, and it wouldn't change the UK treatment anyway (C0 stays as UK0 equivalent).


So, unless DJI releases a firmware update to let us keep (or toggle) the built-in green flashing LEDs on during recording (without adding weight), any external strobe will bump it over 250g and massively restrict flying locations – especially frustrating for night video.


Have I understood this correctly, or am I missing a workaround? The CAA explicitly says strobe weight counts toward the total MTOM.


Also, post-2027 when EU C-marks are no longer recognised – any chance DJI or CAA will offer official UK0 stickers or reclassification for existing C0 Minis to keep the sub-250g privileges? Or any shot at them letting us change it to C1/UK1 again?

is there any rumours of DJI firmware adding a built-in strobe mode when recording at night to keep it legal and also DJI letting us change the class to UK class and hopefully letting us change from Class 0 to Class 1 again?



Thanks in advance!

 

[mavic3usa]

You have arguable the smartest individual on drone rules and regulations in the UK as an excellent resource and Sean should probably be your go-to source for information with videos like this one:

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The topic is fresh and it's under discussion a lot so you could start there and see what everyone is saying. The local experts in this forum have probably jumped in here:

S

New UK drone regs

May 8, 2025

https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/25025

Just published. A few make sense but then a load of duplication and slight difference from the EU rulings for no obvoious reason.

Common theme was "a majority of responders were negative to this proposal but we're going to do it anyway)

Direct Remote ID moving to the far more sinister network remote id (ie unlimited range, permanent surveillance) over time. Also moving from geo-awareness to mandated geo-fencing.

• Split-Infinitive
• Replies: 53
• Forum: sUAV Rules & Regulations

• 

 

[BossBob]

On the strobe, people who were able to get their C0 Mini 4/5 Pro’s re certified as C1 report that the status lights stay on while recording video. DJI just need to flash the status light module of the C1 version of the firmware to the C0 version of the firmware. They don’t even have to write any code!

 

[wco81]

What does that mean if they won't recognize the EU class marks?

A C1 drone is still under 900 grams. What is UK1, lower than 900 grams limit?

What is the enforcement? Are police in the UK going to make people land their drones to inspect the marks?

That doesn't seem likely.

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham, Alabama!

 

[BossBob]

What does that mean if they won't recognize the EU class marks?

A C1 drone is still under 900 grams. What is UK1, lower than 900 grams limit?

What is the enforcement? Are police in the UK going to make people land their drones to inspect the marks?

That doesn't seem likely.

However unlikely, it means that if something goes wrong and authorities get involved, after market accessories fitted to a class marked drone would take it outside of the classification system, which might void any insurance and would certainly make a pilot liable for prosecution. Put simply, to get a class mark the manufacturer has to specify everything that flies as a drone. ANYTHING added outside the authorised accessories uncertifies the drone and changes the airspace it can fly in legally. So even adding a 2g strobe (if there was such a thing) to a 248g mini 4 pro removes its C0 rating and turns it into a legacy drone restricting the airspace it can be flown in. The same strobe put on a mini 5 pro (C0) or an Air3S (C1) does the same.

 

[wco81]

However unlikely, it means that if something goes wrong and authorities get involved, after market accessories fitted to a class marked drone would take it outside of the classification system, which might void any insurance and would certainly make a pilot liable for prosecution. Put simply, to get a class mark the manufacturer has to specify everything that flies as a drone. ANYTHING added outside the authorised accessories uncertifies the drone and changes the airspace it can fly in legally. So even adding a 2g strobe (if there was such a thing) to a 248g mini 4 pro removes its C0 rating and turns it into a legacy drone restricting the airspace it can be flown in. The same strobe put on a mini 5 pro (C0) or an Air3S (C1) does the same.

You're talking about an edge case, a product at the very limit of C0.

Most other drones are not at the thresholds so any aftermarket attachments won't affect the weight or CE mark class.

But more pertinent, how bad are the UK1 restrictions compared to C1 restrictions in the EU and what would it mean if the UK authorities don't recognize the EU CE marks?

Considering that there would probably be EU tourists who might be interested in flying their drones in the UK.

Or what about the converse situation, where a lot of Brits might have purchased drones bearing the UK1 marks, instead of the C1 mark, and they attempt to fly in Spain or France.

Again, I don't think the enforcement will be proactively checking for these CE marks but you're right, if something goes wrong, like property damage, injury or something even worse, then it may be used against you that you didn't have a CE mark which allowed the kind of flights you operated when an accident occurred.

 

[BossBob]

Currently, post 1 Jan 2026, I believe EU and UK class marks are aligned. What happens after the end of 2027 is unknown.
I’ve no idea on eu airspace regulations so won’t comment.