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
Sydney based Saber Astronautics has been awarded a $6.6 million Defence Innovation Hub contract to transform existing space telescopes into space traffic sensors, contributing to Space Domain Awareness (SDA). Following an initial $2.1m million Defence Innovation Hub contract in 2019…
The Australian Department of Defence has acquired an ex-commercial vessel for $110 million which it will convert into an Undersea Support vessel (USV). The USV will be used to support a range of trials and activities leveraging new technologies in…
QinetiQ Australia has been awarded a $12.9 million 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 technology,…
Spiral Blue’s Space Edge One (SE-1) computer has become the first Australian Space Edge Computer, and first NVIDIA Xavier NX, to be operational in space. Spiral Blue has received initial data from SE-1, having launched with Satellogic aboard a SpaceX…
Lockheed Martin Australia has been selected by the Department of Defence as the preferred bidder for Joint Project 9102 Ph.1, the $6.9 billion Australian Defence Satellite Communications System. JP9102 will provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with a sovereign military…
Lockheed Martin Australia has delivered a significant milestone in Defence’s Counter Improvised Threats Grand Challenge (CIT-GC) funded by the Next Generation Technologies Fund (NGTF), successfully demonstrating its ‘Agile Shield’ solution at its Endeavour Centre in Canberra. Developed by Lockheed Martin’s…
The US subsidiary of BAE Systems has taken a further step into the global battery market, announcing a collaboration with Heart Aerospace, a Swedish electric aircraft manufacturer, to define the battery system for Heart’s ES-30 regional electric airplane. The battery…
The first Regional Office of NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) has opened in London; the UK is partnered with Estonia in this venture and a further hub in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, is due to open later…
US company AeroVironment has unveiled the newest version of its Switchblade® 300 rapidly deployable loitering missile system. The Switchblade 300 Block 20 builds on Block 10C’s performance in Ukraine with new operational features and significant performance and capability improvements. The company…
The US Navy has awarded contracts worth US$116 million (AUD$175 million) to Raytheon Missiles and Defense and Lockheed Martin for the initial development of a carrier-suitable long range, high-speed missile designated Hypersonic Air Launched Offensive Anti-Surface (HALO). The contract award…
