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 Congress’s AUKUS Working Group has introduced a new bipartisan bill, the Australia-U.S. Submarine Officer Pipeline Act, which would enable the start of US-based training of Commanding Officers for Australia’s future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The four Chairmen of the…
The Qantas Group and Airbus will invest up to US$200 million to accelerate the establishment of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry in Australia. The Australian Sustainable Aviation Fuel Partnership was signed 19 June by Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce…
Canberra-based cyber security specialist Penten has joined Airbus’s Team Maier which is bidding for the ADF’s JP9102 sovereign SATCOM project. Asia Pacific Defence Reporter (APDR) says Penten will provide ground segment sovereign encryption for the JP9102 program. Working in tandem…
Defence has renewed a key IT technical and professional services contract with Canberra-based ICT firm Insitec for $43.5 million. Under the contract, which has been extended for two years with an option for a third, the company is providing technical…
Scientists at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) together with Lithium Australia Limited (LIT) have developed a world-first technology to extract more lithium from lithium mining waste, in a game-changer for the country’s lithium industry. Demand for lithium…
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has successfully demonstrated the autonomous launch and recovery of large-diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (LDUUVs) from amphibious warships. The demonstration, using a smaller surface vessel as a surrogate for a San Antonio-class amphibious ship, took place in…
The US Navy’s MQ-8C Fire Scout has made its second operational deployment, and first deployment to the Indo-Pacific Area of Responsibility, aboard USS Jackson (LCS-6). Thje ship deployed to Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May as part of a…
Northrop Grumman has teamed with two smaller technology specialists, German company Mynaric and US firm Innoflight, to bring the Space Development Agency (SDA) vision of a secure, proliferated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) mesh communication network closer to reality. The company…
DroneShield has confirmed its equipment was deployed in the Counter-Unmanned Air Systems (C-UAS) role at the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland on 22-26 May 2022. WEF attracts over 2,500 participants, including world leaders and senior business executives.…
Thales Australia and New Zealand has announced the appointment of Jeff Connolly as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) following the decision by current CEO Chris Jenkins to retire on 1 September 2022. Chris Jenkins has agreed to continue to serve as…
