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
ST Engineering has launched the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) first Victory-class Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV) at its Benoi Yard. The 8,000-ton, 150m-long MRCV is designed to serve as a ‘mothership’ for uncrewed systems, enabling seamless operability across air, surface…
Melbourne, Florida-based L3Harris Technologies has expanded its VAMPIRE Counter-Uncrewed Aerial System (C-UAS), which it says demonstrates the company’s ability to defeat small UASs accurately and affordably. The expanded family of systems now includes specialized variants for land, maritime, air and…
The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) will make its first defence sector investment spending $10 million to acquire an equity stake in Brisbane-based Hypersonix Launch Systems (HLS). It is part of a consortium, alongside the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), SaaB…
Shield AI has unveiled its new X-BAT, an autonomous, AI-piloted, Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) fighter jet designed for expeditionary and maritime operations in contested environments. It uses a compact launcher to take off and recover vertically but still…
Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace and Thales Australia have successfully fired a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) test munition from the StrikeMaster missile launch vehicle in Norway. This firing demonstrates the suitability of the Thales Australia Bushmaster Utility variant as…
Sydney based DroneShield has announced the integration of Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) into its counter Uncrewed Aerial System (C-UAS) ecosystem. The integration fuses traditional aviation surveillance data with counter-drone detection, allowing operators to intuitively differentiate legitimate aircraft from potential drone…
Australia’s Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) has opened in Melbourne. The AMCRC has been established with $57.5 million in Commonwealth Government funding through the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. However, AMCRC also brings together 13 leading Australian universities,…
Defence has invested $19 million in the Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) Pilot. Defence awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Australia an initial $9.6 million contract to deliver the pilot phase of the AUSSQ program in March 2025, and has invested…
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President of the United States Donald Trump have signed a landmark bilateral framework on critical minerals and rare earths at the White House in Washington DC. These commodities are essential for defence and other…
US defence prime L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a US$2.26 billion ($3.47 billion) contract to build an undisclosed number of Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft for the Republic of Korea Air Force. The announcement, by L3Harris and Bombardier,…
