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 US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has knocked back the Sikorsky-Boeing challenge to the US Army’s selection of the Bell Textron V-280 Valor for its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program – essentially, the Blackhawk helicopter replacement. The eventual…
The US Navy’s Office of Naval research – Global (ONR- Global) has called for proposals for its Global-X Challenge. This is designed to spur revolutionary innovation and teaming for a proof of concept within nine months. The Office of Naval Research will…
Perth-based Austal Australia and US company Saildrone Inc. have signed an exclusive Teaming Agreement to jointly identify opportunities to collaborate on the manufacture of the 20 metre Saildrone Surveyor, in Australia, for deployments in the Indo-Pacific region. The Saildrone Surveyor…
The US Defense Department has approved Full Rate Production for Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). The decision validates the maturity of the IBCS which is at the core of the company’s bid for Australia’s Joint Air Battle…
Ms Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency, will be trained as an astronaut by the European Space Agency (ESA). She becomes the first Australian woman to be trained as an astronaut by an international space…
Sydney-based DroneShield has released DroneGun Mk4, following extensive development work in response to end-user feedback. The product is available for purchase by qualified end-users. DroneGun Mk4 is a portable pistol-shaped drone jammer, weighing 3.2kg. The Company believes this product has…
The Adelaide-based SmartSat CRC is committing over $1 million to support the development of new space technology that will be tested in space as payloads on the Waratah Seed WS-1 (Waratah Seed) spacecraft, Australia’s first space qualification-focused ride-share mission, due…
The Australian government has released its National Battery Strategy Issues paper and National Robotics Strategy Discussion Paper, inviting comment and responses to direct questions posed in the latter. Consultation on the Battery Strategy closed 17 March, but submissions on the…
IMAGE: HEO Robotics, which delivers satellite information using spare capacity on spacecraft in orbit, is an alumnus of the 10x Accelerator at UNSW in Sydney. Image: HEO Robotics UNSW Founders has launched Defence 10x, a new accelerator program focused on…
QinetiQ Australia has been awarded a $12.9 million, two-year contract to collaborate with the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) to co-develop and manufacture a high energy laser system prototype in South Australia. A world leader in laser research and…
