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
German sensor company HENSOLDT will work with the Fraunhofer Institute to turn the GESTRA German Experimental Space Surveillance and Tracking Radar) technology demonstrator into a production ready, operationally deployable system called Custodian. To this end, HENSOLDT has acquired the necessary…
The UK Ministry of Defence has selected Australian company Schiebel and Franco-British contractor Thales to deliver the Peregrine Uncrewed Air System (UAS) contract for the Royal Navy under a contract reported to be worth around $25 million. This will see…
UK company Babcock has been awarded a six-year, £400 million ($720 million) contract to manage and operate Skynet 6, the UK MOD’s Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) system. The contract is expected to support 400 jobs. The contract forms part of…
The Royal Navy’s unique trials ship XV (eXperimental Vessel) Patrick Blackett has begun sea acceptance trials. Operated by the Royal Navy’s Autonomy and Lethality Accelerator, NavyX, she will be used to test and trial novel technologies aimed at getting new…
A specialist ship acquired to support Royal Navy mine-hunting operations by launching drones to find and destroy undersea threats has arrived in Plymouth for conversion. When deployed, the vessel will help keep UK waters safe from the threat of mines…
South Australian artificial intelligence (AI) company AICRAFT has successfully launched its edge computing module to set a record for Big Data processing on orbit. The device was launched on Friday 10 February 2023 on board the JANUS-1 satellite of Antaris…
Australian companies will be able to access a global Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) export market estimated to be worth $83 billion on the back of Lockheed Martin Australia’s proposed solution for Project AIR6500, the RAAF’s planned Joint Air…
Boeing and its maritime engineering partner, BMT have successfully tested an Australian-developed maritime communications system under Project SEA1442 Ph.5 that will enhance the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) major fleet unit connectivity and advance joint force capabilities. The Maritime Warfighter Network…
The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth more than US$2 billion, if all options are exercised, to integrate the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system onto ZUMWALT-class guided missile destroyers (DDGs). The CPS will enter service during the mid-2020s,…
UK-based defence research company QinetiQ Group plc has announced the formation of a new Australia Sector and named Gary Stewart as the Sector’s Chief Executive, effective 1 May 2023. Gary will join QinetiQ from Rheinmetall Defence Australia where he was the…
