In what could prove to be a huge boost for India’s nascent private sector defence manufacturing industry, Tonbo Imaging, a Bengaluru-based defence tech startup, has inked a massive, $100Mn deal with Peruvian Army to equip guns being sold to the army, with tondo’s night-vision tech.
According to this freshly minted defence contract, Tonbo Imaging will manufacture and export ‘night-vision sights’ for guns to be sold by US-HQed Unified Weapons Systems (UWS), to the Peruvian Army. The device will be fitted on rifles supplied to Peru by the US defence equipment manufacturer, with a similar deal on offer for the Indian army.
Talking about this massive success for his company, CEO Arvind Lakshmikumar said,
Close to 10,000 weapons will be equipped with Tonbo’s thermal imaging sight with a total order of over $100 million over the next 10 years.
The deal, which Tonbo Imaging has inked with Peru’s state-owned military industry Fábrica de Armas y Municiones del Ejército (FAME), also involves transfer of technology at a later stage, thus allowing local Peru workers to manufacture advance weaponry for their local army.
Lakshmikumar adds,
The transfer of technology will create self-reliance for the domestic industry in the long run.
The $100Mn deal which tondo has inked, is a part of Peruvian Army’s current military modernisation program. Under the same initiative, the Army has inked a $1.5Bn contract with UWS for supplying close to 300K advanced rifles for both the army, and Peru’s national police.
The tender to supply day optics for the guns was won by US-based Browe, Inc., while the contract for night-vision sights was bagged by Tonbo. UWS conducted field trials on Tonbo’s weapon sight ‘Arjun’ over eight months.
Arjun is a small, lightweight uncooled thermal imaging sight designed and optimized for small and medium caliber weapons. It can also be used as a standalone hand held thermal imager or a helmet mounted TI sight.
It is optimally designed to work as a CLIPON TI sight with existing day 4x magnified day scopes.
These mini sight can be detached and reattached without affecting the boresight of the day scope; significantly improving operator performance and tactical flexibility.
On top of al that advanced tech, Arjun provides a cost effective thermal imaging alternative to antiquated image intensifier sights offering far superior detection and engagement capabilities at comparable price points.
Arjun is based on state-of-the-art HawkVision thermal imaging core. W ith a resistive Amorphous Silicon based 640 x 480 / 384×288 micro bolometer array on a 17-micron pitch and advanced thermal image processing. It features field replaceable optics enabling it to be used on any weapon system. It is compatible with tactical head mounted wireless display which allows soldiers to accurately shoot around corners.
Tonbo’s offerings however, aren’t limited to just get vision tech. It provides varied, state-of-the-art tech for all of defence forces’ wings — Land, air and sea. Most of Tonbo’s offerings lie in the tactical zone, wherein the company provides additional payload which can be put up over existing tech. for example, the company is providing close to eight different payloads for UAVs and drones.
