Bengaluru Based Design Startup Tonbo Imaging Inks $100 Mn Deal With Peruvian Army

Bengaluru-based imaging-design startup, Tonbo Imaging has reportedly entered into a $100 Mn contract with the Peruvian army. Tonbo Imaging will manufacture and export ‘night-vision sights’ for the army’s weapons.

As per the terms of the deal, the device fitted on rifles, will be supplied to Peru by a US-based manufacturer Unified Weapon Systems Inc. (UWS). A similar deal will be offered by Tonbo Imaging to the Indian army as well.

Founded in 2012, Tonbo Imaging designs, builds, and deploys advanced imaging and sensor systems to sense, understand, and control complex environments. Tonbo Imaging offers a suite of solutions that address critical market needs in military reconnaissance, infrastructure security, and transportation safety.

It also provides imaging products and intellectual property cores that can be licensed by OEMs and systems integrators.

Commenting on the development, Arvind Lakshmikumar, CEO, Tonbo Imaging said, “Close to 10,000 weapons will be equipped with Tonbo’s thermal imaging sight with a total order of over $100 Mn over the next 10 years.”

The deal will also allow Peru’s state-owned military industry, Fábrica de Armas y Municiones del Ejército (FAME) to access Tonbo’s technology of the assault rifles and weapon sights. “The transfer of technology will create self-reliance for the domestic industry in the long run,” added Lakshmikumar.

UWS conducted field trials on Tonbo’s weapon sight ‘Arjun’ over a period of eight months, as per an official statement. Tonbo’s product ‘Arjun’ cites competition from multinational defence companies such as BAE Systems plc, L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc., and FLIR Systems, Inc.

Talking about the product, Mike Bingham, CEO, UWS said, “This is a unique distinction, given India is not known for its cutting-edge defense industry. The Indian defence market is largely dominated by imports from Russia and Israel. While most night vision systems run proprietary operating systems, Tonbo’s systems are built on Android. This makes their systems very secure and scalable.”

On the proposed deal for the Indian army, Lakshmikumar said, “This package is now being offered to the Indian army as a part of the Indian army RFI for assault weapons. We will be doing field trials with various army groups to demonstrate the capabilities of the weapon.”

Tonbo also has plans to scale up its products across other military segments such as land systems, UAVs, weapon systems, and missiles with an aim to create global adoption of Indian-made products.

This development was reported by ET.