Innovation and R&D have always been the essential foundations of a strong, sustainable defence industry. Australia’s 2016 Defence White Paper, Defence Industry Policy Statement (DIPS) and Defence Integrated Investment Program (DIIP) acknowledge the importance of successful Defence R&D and innovation to the nation’s defence industry and thus to Australian defence policy. The 2020 Defence Force Structure Plan reinforced these foundations.
EX2 was set up by Dr Gregor Ferguson, a defence industry and innovation analyst and consultant, to make a useful contribution in Australia’s new and welcoming defence business environment.
EX2 helps innovators in Defence, the research sector and industry, and especially SMEs, by providing news and insight about innovation in Defence and adjacent sectors such as space, aerospace and resources.
Gregor Ferguson writes, teaches, advises and runs a national program designed to encourage and reward innovators in the defence, aerospace and maritime domains in both industry and the research and academic communities.
View his bio here (PDF opens in new window).
Dr Gregor Ferguson, Ph.D, BA (Hons), MRAeS
The Australian Defence Force and Japanese Self-Defense Force have successfully trialled a High Energy Laser sensor under Project Boobook at Cultana Training Area in South Australia. Project Boobook is the first co-development project between the Australian and Japanese defence industries,…
Australia and the United Kingdom have signed a joint statement to deepen cooperation on the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar capability supplied by Canberra-based Company CEA Technologies Pty Limited. The joint statement recognises the strategic importance of collaboration between both…
Defence’s Science and Technology Group (DSTG) has announced the first successful test flight of a fully Australian-designed and manufactured advanced Solid Rocket Motor (SRM). It took place at the Koonibba Test Range near Ceduna, South Australia, a commercial space port…
Defence will acquire the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), manufactured by Lockheed Martin, at a cost of nearly $736 million. It will equip Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Super Hornets, Lightning IIs and Growlers with a new high speed,…
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a US$75 million ($107 million) Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) to acquire the BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit (PDU) Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range (JDAM LR), clearing the program for initial production. The JDAM…
The Boeing P-8A Poseidon and Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton have executed a simulated demonstration of enhanced interoperability and Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) capabilities to execute anti-surface warfare and Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, including satellite relay to reflect realistic…
Defence has launched the 2026 Defence Innovation, Science and Technology (IS&T) Strategy, which it describes as a 10-year blueprint to accelerate the delivery of innovative solutions and new technologies for Defence and strengthen Australia’s sovereign industrial base. In a rapidly…
Sydney based startup MILLIBEAM has revealed RAKURAI, a sovereign Counter-Uncrewed Aerial System (C-UAS) built on proprietary Radio Frequency (RF) architecture that the company says is a world-first. RAKURAI has recently achieved TRL 5 in preparation for field testing. RAKURAI overcomes…
Defence awarded a $12.5 million, three year Capability Life Cycle Manager contract to Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd (KBR) for the Diving, Autonomous and Signatures System Program Office (DASSPO) portfolio. The initial three-year contract is another step forward in…
The US Department of War has awarded Lockheed Martin a seven-year Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) modification for up to US$53.86 billion (about $77.3 billion) for PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors, supporting the Department of War's Acquisition Transformation Strategy. The award brings the total multiyear contract value to US$58.62 billion…
