ABOUT FTD INNOVATIONS

Friskfly Tech Devices Private Limited, known as FTD Innovations, designs and manufactures defense drones and the electronics inside them. A recognised startup incubated at TBIF, IIT Ropar, FTD builds its flight controllers, ESCs, power systems, RF links, and AI hardware in-house using an allied-nation-only supply chain with zero Chinese components. Our current focus is defense, centered on a counter-UAS portfolio of components and products for defense and government customers in India and allied nations.

Consumer products are planned as a future line.

- Component line: Quadcopter flight controller, 4-in-1 ESCs (55A and 100A), hexacopter ESC, ELRS transmitter and receiver modules, GPS sensor module, analog and digital video transmitters and receivers (VTX/VRX), and an AI targeting module.
- Product line:
- Talon MK-I: High-speed, single-use kinetic interceptor drone with onboard AI target detection, tracking, and engagement.
- Hand Launcher MK-I: Reusable handheld launch and control unit with integrated optics and display.
- Early Warning System (EWS): Autonomous, solar-powered AI detection network for coastal, maritime, and land sites, fusing thermal, visual, and acoustic sensing with fully offline detection.
- Falcon MK-I: Compact, NDAA-compliant drone for defense, security, and commercial users.

THE ROLE The CTO owns FTD's technology from architecture through volume production. This is a hands-on role: you will design hardware, write firmware, and solve flight and autonomy problems yourself while leading a small, highly skilled engineering team. We are looking for a builder, not an administrator. You will report to the CEO and work closely with the founding team on product strategy, customer programs, and fundraising.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Architecture and Hands-On Engineering

- Own the technical roadmap and system architecture across Talon MK-I, the Hand Launcher, EWS, Falcon MK-I, and the component line.
- Personally design and review schematics,



multi-layer PCBs, power electronics, and RF circuits for flight controllers, ESCs, BMS, telemetry, and video transmission systems.
- Write and maintain embedded firmware (C/C++, RTOS and bare metal), and own the FTD SDK and the firmware release process.

Flight Control, Autonomy, and AI

- Lead flight control, guidance, navigation, and state estimation for high-speed interceptors and autonomous platforms, including GPS-independent operation.
- Develop and deploy onboard computer vision and AI for target detection, tracking, and terminal guidance on edge hardware, optimizing models for size, power, and latency.
- Drive multi-sensor fusion (thermal, visual, acoustic, and RF) for detection and alerting functionality.

Production and Scale

- Take designs from prototype to volume production well beyond 1,000 units per month, leading design for manufacturing, design for test, test fixtures, and quality assurance.
- Manage PCB fabrication, assembly, and component vendors while holding to the allied-nation-only, zero-Chinese-component sourcing standard.

Team and Customers

- Assist in hiring and leading a small team of electronics and firmware engineers, setting engineering standards and running tests, design and code reviews.
- Write the technical sections of defense proposals and solution briefs, lead customer demonstrations and field trials, and support technical diligence.
- Work alongside FTD's compliance lead on test and certification requirements.
- Travel internationally on a limited basis for customer trials and demonstrations.

REQUIREMENTS





- BE/BTech in Electronics and Communication, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- 7+ years of hands-on experience in embedded systems and electronics, including 3+ years leading hardware or firmware teams.
- Has taken one or more hardware electronics products from concept through mass production.
- Deep hands-on skill with ARM microcontrollers (STM32 or similar), SOCs, C/C++, RTOS and bare-metal firmware, multi-layer PCB design, power electronics, and RF.
- Proven hands-on experience in flight control or autonomy (PX4, ArduPilot, Betaflight, or custom stacks), including control loops and sensor fusion.
- Hands-on experience deploying computer vision or AI models on edge hardware (for example NVIDIA Jetson, embedded NPUs, OpenCV, or TensorRT).
- Experience with design for manufacturing and scaling electronics production with contract manufacturers.
- Willing to commit full-time and exclusively to FTD, work in office in Surat or Ahmedabad, and undergo background verification.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Electronics, UAV, or drone industry experience (strongly preferred).
- MTech/MS in a relevant field.
- Familiarity with defense test and certification standards such as NDAA sourcing rules, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461 (EMI/EMC), or Blue UAS.
- Experience with Indian defense or government programs (Indian Armed Forces, DRDO, iDEX).
- Experience with secure or encrypted RF links, ELRS, and analog or digital video transmission.
- Background in counter-UAS, interceptors, or other high-speed platforms, or prior founding or early-stage startup experience.

WHAT WE OFFER

- Compensation: 12 to 20 LPA with potential for stock options
- Development budget: Company-funded professional development for testing, training, and conferences.
- Real ownership: Architecture authority over defense products designed in-house from the board level up.
- Terms: Full-time, exclusive employment with a 6-month probation period.

📌 Chief Technology Officer (Surat)
🏢 FTD Innovations
📍 Surat