Indian Navy awards ADITI 3.0 contract for HPM system to Tonbo Imaging

The Indian Navy awarded an ADITI 3.0 contract to Bengaluru-based defence technology firm Tonbo Imaging for the integration and commissioning of a High Power ...

What Happened

The Indian Navy awarded an ADITI 3.0 contract to Bengaluru-based defence technology firm Tonbo Imaging for the integration and commissioning of a High Power Microwave (HPM) system on naval platforms.
Under the contract, Tonbo Imaging will undertake system integration and commissioning, followed by supply of multiple production units upon successful development, validation, and acceptance testing.
HPM systems are classified as directed-energy weapons (DEW) — they disable or degrade adversary electronics, sensors, and unmanned aerial systems through high-intensity microwave energy rather than kinetic force.
Tonbo Imaging holds indigenous intellectual property in vacuum tube technologies — a critical sub-system within HPM — and is described as among very few private organisations globally with this core capability.
The contract is supported by iDEX (Innovation for Defence Excellence) and the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) under the Ministry of Defence, making it a flagship example of the Make in India for Defence initiative targeting critical and strategic technologies.

Static Topic Bridges

iDEX — Innovation for Defence Excellence

iDEX is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence, launched in 2018 at DefExpo, aimed at creating a self-reliant and innovative defence ecosystem by engaging startups, MSMEs, and individual innovators to develop cutting-edge technology solutions for the Indian Armed Forces. It operates under the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), a not-for-profit company whose founder members include Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

iDEX funds innovators through the DISC (Defence India Startup Challenge) programme via milestone-based grants.
The ADITI (Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX) scheme is a sub-scheme of iDEX, launched at DefConnect 2024 (March 2024), with a total outlay of ₹750 crore over FY 2023–24 to 2025–26.
ADITI targets "Critical and Strategic" technologies — a defined category including satellite communications, autonomous weapons, AI, quantum technologies, advanced cyber, semiconductors, nuclear technologies, and advanced underwater surveillance.
Maximum grant per selected innovator under ADITI: up to ₹25 crore.
ADITI 3.0 specifically designates HPM systems as a critical technology challenge open for startups/MSMEs to solve.

Connection to this news: The Tonbo Imaging contract is the outcome of the ADITI 3.0 challenge — demonstrating the full cycle from challenge identification → startup selection → prototype → production contract within the iDEX ecosystem.

Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW) — Strategic Significance

Directed-energy weapons (DEW) are systems that emit focused energy — in the form of lasers, high-power microwaves, or particle beams — to damage, disable, or destroy targets. Unlike conventional munitions, DEW attacks travel at or near the speed of light and impose minimal per-shot cost. High Power Microwave (HPM) systems are a subset of DEW that generate intense electromagnetic pulses to disrupt or permanently damage electronic systems in drones, missiles, and other platforms.

HPM systems are considered a strategic asset; only a handful of countries — the United States, China, Russia, and a few others — currently possess operational HPM capability.
HPM is particularly effective against drone swarms, which are difficult to counter cost-effectively with kinetic interceptors (each missile costs far more than the drone it destroys).
Unlike laser DEW, HPM can affect multiple targets simultaneously within a wide beam pattern, making it effective against swarm threats.
Vacuum tube sources (e.g., gyrotrons, magnetrons, relativistic klystrons) are the core HPM power-generation technology — the intellectual property Tonbo Imaging has developed indigenously.
DEW including HPM are governed by the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.

Connection to this news: India's indigenous HPM capability, if validated through this ADITI 3.0 contract, would place India among a select global group with operational directed-energy naval platforms — a significant leap in maritime electronic warfare capability.

Make in India for Defence — Indigenisation Policy

The Make in India for Defence policy aims to reduce India's dependence on arms imports (historically ~60–70% of defence requirements were met through imports) and develop a robust domestic defence industrial base. Key mechanisms include the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP 2020), positive indigenisation lists that ban import of specified weapons systems, and preferential procurement of domestically manufactured equipment.

DAP 2020 introduced six procurement categories, with the highest preference given to "Make" (Indian design, development, and manufacture) categories.
The Ministry of Defence has released three Positive Indigenisation Lists (PILs) covering hundreds of items — from simple components to complex weapons systems — that must be procured domestically.
India's defence exports have grown from approximately ₹1,941 crore in FY 2016–17 to over ₹21,000 crore in FY 2023–24, reflecting growing domestic manufacturing capability.
iDEX and ADITI are the innovation-side complement to the procurement-side reforms of DAP 2020 — they build the supply base of indigenously developed defence technology.
DRDO's Technology Development Fund (TDF) is a parallel mechanism (separate from iDEX) that supports academic institutions and private firms developing defence technologies.

Connection to this news: The HPM system contract with Tonbo Imaging exemplifies the Make in India for Defence continuum: a private startup develops core technology with iDEX/ADITI funding and transitions directly into a production contract with the Indian Navy — without relying on foreign technology transfer or import.

Counter-Drone Technology and Internal Security

The proliferation of commercial and military-grade drones has created significant security challenges across India's borders and in internal security operations. Drone-based threats range from cross-border smuggling (drugs, arms) and IED delivery to reconnaissance and swarm attacks. Jammu & Kashmir has documented multiple instances of Pakistani drones being used to drop weapons to terrorist handlers.

India's counter-drone framework includes: RF jammers, GPS spoofers, net-guns, laser-based DEW (developed by DRDO), and kinetic interceptors.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued the Drone Rules 2021, creating a regulatory ecosystem for civilian drones while the Ministry of Defence manages military drone policy.
HPM systems offer a cost-effective, multi-target solution compared to missile-based intercepts — a single HPM burst can disable an entire swarm.
At sea, naval HPM systems can protect ships from drone swarms, anti-ship missile guidance systems, and electronic warfare threats simultaneously.

Connection to this news: The Indian Navy's ADITI 3.0 HPM contract is a direct response to the evolving threat landscape — establishing a shipborne directed-energy counter to drone swarms and electronic threats in the maritime domain.

Key Facts & Data

ADITI full form: Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX.
ADITI total outlay: ₹750 crore over FY 2023–24 to 2025–26.
Maximum grant per innovator under ADITI: up to ₹25 crore.
ADITI launched: DefConnect 2024, March 4, 2024 (by the Defence Minister).
iDEX established: 2018 (DefExpo); parent body: DIO (Defence Innovation Organisation).
DIO founder members: HAL and BEL.
HPM system: a directed-energy weapon that disrupts/destroys electronics through high-intensity microwave energy.
Countries with confirmed HPM capability: USA, China, Russia — and now India (in development).
India defence exports: grew from ~₹1,941 crore (FY17) to ~₹21,000+ crore (FY24).
Positive Indigenisation Lists: 3 lists published by MoD, banning imports of hundreds of defence items.
Tonbo Imaging: Bengaluru-based private defence tech firm; holds indigenous IP in vacuum tube technology.
Wassenaar Arrangement: multilateral export control regime governing DEW technology transfers.