When Operation Sindoor was launched in May 2025 - India's precision strikes in retaliation to the brutal Pahalgam terror attack, which targeted terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) - it marked a turning point in global perception of Indian military technology. The operation combined precise, cross-border strikes with advanced indigenous systems, including the Akash missile, loitering munitions, and integrated air defence networks, successfully neutralizing multiple threats without loss of Indian assets.

Supported by satellite surveillance from ISRO and a burgeoning domestic drone industry, India's multi-layered defence-spanning electronic warfare, counter-UAS, and net-centric operations-demonstrated the effectiveness of homegrown innovation. One such company, Bengaluru-based Tonbo Imaging, developed imaging systems that let soldiers operate in complete darkness and enabled air-defence guns to precisely neutralize hostile drones.

For Arvind Lakshmikumar, the founder and CEO, this was more than validation - it was the realization of a decade-long vision: proving that India could build world-class precision imaging systems on par with or exceeding Western technology.

Often dubbed“India's Tony Stark,” Arvind takes the title lightly - amused, grateful, and slightly embarrassed. Yet the company he has built speaks for itself: night-vision systems used in the Uri surgical strikes and Operation Sindoor, thermal imagers dominating Indian procurement, elegantly designed weapon sights, and now technology capable of frying swarms of drones mid-air.

In a candid discussion on Mic'd Up With India's Defencepreneurs with Asianet News Digital's Head of Content, Adith Charlie, Arvind details how Tonbo's systems became mission-critical on the battlefield.

From Sarnoff Labs to a Made-in-India OEM

From Sarnoff Labs to a Made-in-India OEM

Arvind's journey began in the thick of U.S. research culture - Sarnoff Corporation, the birthplace of everything from the CMOS image sensor to the LCD screen.

“Sarnoff was a fantastic research place... like the Xerox PARC Palo Alto Research Center,” he recalls. But when the company decided to pull out of India, Arvind and his team saw an opening.

“So we did a management buyout... and created what is Tonbo Imaging today.”

What they brought back home wasn't just experience - it was a mission.

India, he says, had integrators but lacked real OEMs capable of building foundational defence technology.

“We said if India really needs to have sovereign capabilities, building that core technology stack is very important.”

And Tonbo decided to be that OEM.

Choosing Defence Over the More Glamorous Automotive Route

Arvind's early career involved DARPA autonomous vehicle challenges, robotics, computer vision - all skills that could easily have led him into Silicon Valley's automotive boom.

But he stayed back.

“If we were in Silicon Valley, we would have chosen automotive... but building that in India and hoping that you're going to get these inserted into a Mahindra or a Tata is difficult.”

India didn't need autonomous cars. It did need night-vision systems, thermal imagers, and smart weapon sights that didn't weigh a kilo and a half.

And that's where Tonbo stepped in.

How Tonbo Became a Favourite of India's Armed Forces

By 2012, Tonbo's thermal imagers were beginning to grab attention - not just domestically but abroad. A lot of the modern night-vision equipment inducted by Northern Command, NSG, BSF, and CRPF came from Tonbo.

Arvind explains the breakthrough simply:

“We told the customer, 'Look, you're not buying advanced technology because you think it's very expensive... but what you need to look at is your concept of operations.'”

Tonbo promised a lighter, faster, stronger alternative - and delivered.

“If I can give you a weapon sight which weighs 500 grams, lasts eight hours, and can engage a target at one kilometre... that's what you need.”

The procurement numbers grew. Tonbo became a default name in India's night-vision ecosystem.

The Uri Strike: Tonbo's Quiet Role

Arvind doesn't boast. He almost hesitates before acknowledging Tonbo's systems were used during the 2016 Uri strike.

“The night vision systems... a lot of the equipment came from Tonbo,” he says matter-of-factly.

They found out only after the operation had concluded.

Operation Sindoor also saw Tonbo's hardware in action - thermal imaging and tracking systems on the ZU-23 air defence guns that were used to bring down drones.

“These were night enablements of the ZU-23 guns, which essentially were used to shoot down drones. So, the night vision systems which went in the thermal imaging systems and the target tracking systems on the ZU-23 were ours. So they were used in both these skirmishes,” he said.

Wave Strike: India's Answer to Swarm Drones

One of Tonbo's most futuristic systems - and Arvind's current obsession - is Wave Strike, a high-power microwave weapon.

“It can simultaneously disable 100 drones and essentially fry their electronics.”

Built on a multi-beam klystron, Wave Strike aims for a range of over 3 km - more ambitious than existing Western systems.

“This is a great opportunity for us to get back to tinkering... I'm super excited about it.”

The Indian Navy is already on board. So is a major European customer.

Why Tonbo Builds Before Selling: The Anti–PowerPoint Philosophy

Traditional defence giants display their scale - giant factories, massive fabs, men in hard hats. Tonbo doesn't have that.

So they do the opposite.

“I can demonstrate capability only if I build the product. If I show it on PowerPoint, the customer won't believe it.”

Tonbo prototypes first, shows capability, then secures orders - an inversion of the classic defence playbook.

The missile seeker they built for the Amogha ATGM is a perfect example. Rather than claim capability, Tonbo built it, tested it abroad, and then walked into Bharat Dynamics with proof in hand.

“The conversation is completely different.”

Tonbo's People-First Culture: Zero Politics, Zero Hierarchy

For all the high-tech wizardry, Arvind speaks most passionately about culture.

“I want people to come to a company to be happy... You don't want to come to work and have politics.”

Tonbo is not hierarchical. People are encouraged to break things.

“Look, if you don't break things, you will not learn.”

His leadership team - some working with him for two decades - reflects the same ethos.

“We have zero fights,” Arvind says of his co-founders Ankit and Cecilia.“We are completely un-managed.”

This culture, he insists, matters more than revenue or short-term success.

“I don't care if the revenue slips. I do care about the attitude we have with each other.”

Ferrari Tech at Maruti Prices

Tonbo's pricing philosophy is simple: outperform global competitors at a fraction of their cost - without downgrading the product.

Arvind Lakshmikumar explained that Tonbo Imaging follows the principle of a Ferrari-“if you are a Ferrari, you don't make a lower-cost system because you are a Ferrari, because your primary business and your expertise is doing that.” He noted that in emerging markets like India, cost is a major factor. 

When Indian customers are told,“Listen, I'm making a Ferrari, pay me the cost of a Ferrari,” they often respond,“Even though I love the product, even though it's fantastic, I salivate over it, but I will not buy it.” In contrast, international customers understand and appreciate what a high-end system can do and are willing to pay the premium price.

To address this challenge, Arvind said the company decided to“sell in the international market for the price of a Ferrari, and in India for something a little more than a Maruti-maybe a Maruti plus 10% or 20%.” This approach allowed them to“run a fairly profitable business” without diluting their brand. 

He added,“Let's build a Ferrari, get the appreciation of a Ferrari for a global market, and sell it in India.” Over five to seven years, Indian customers increasingly“valued that more” and accepted paying a bit extra to access high-spec systems, recognizing that in competitive tenders,“it is the lowest cost bidder who's going to win.”

And that, he believes, is why Indian defence exports are on the cusp of exploding.

India's Moment as a Global Defence Supplier

With the US, Israel, and Russia preoccupied or constrained, Arvind sees a rare geopolitical opening.

“People are now turning to the point where they realize that India is a good potential supplier.”

Armenia's recent purchases from Indian companies - including Tonbo - are just the beginning.

“India is a good, strong, reliable supplier of fundamental technology.”

For India to break into the top 10 defence exporters, he says, the Ministry of Defence must do just one thing: show up at global defence shows with the right products.

“If they are there, enough people are gonna come in.”

The Founder Who Sleeps Like a Baby

Unlike many entrepreneurs who love to romanticise burnout, Arvind is refreshingly blunt.

“I do sleep like a baby,” he says with a laugh.

And his reason is simple:

“Hire the right team, trust them to do their job... then you as a founder don't need anything to worry about.”

A Founder Whose Mission Outlives the Hype

Arvind may be amused at being called India's Iron Man. But Tonbo Imaging - born in India, built for the world - embodies that spirit of audacious, ground-up innovation.

This is not just a defence manufacturing company. It is a lab of constant tinkering, a workshop where young engineers are handed expensive equipment on day one, a place where breaking things is encouraged, and where India's next generation of engineering talent learns how to build systems end-to-end.

And it's led by a man who believes - deeply - that India can and must build at the very highest level.

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