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 DroneShield Limited will invest $13 million in a significant R&D and manufacturing capacity expansion at its HQ and at a new site in Sydney. It will add 2,500m2 to the R&D centre at its Sydney HQ and open a…
Californian company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) is partnering with Swedish defence prime contractor Saab to develop an autonomous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) capability for the MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft, or Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS). GA-ASI plans…
The US Air Force says it has demonstrated a major leap in Man-Machine Teaming (MUM-T), flying Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACPs) alongside crewed fighter aircraft during a training event at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Pilots operating an F-16C Fighting Falcon…
The US Army’s Program Executive Office Aviation, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Project Office has released a Sources Sought Notification to identify commercially available low-cost, sovereign Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (SUAS). The Army is looking to field thousands of low-cost UAS…
Optical quantum clocks developed at the University of Adelaide have been proven to out-perform GPS navigation systems by many orders of magnitude. The clocks, which were put through their paces in EX RIMPAC, were developed by a team led by…
Lockheed Martin has delivered the first Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV) shipset comprised of four AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar antennas to the Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD). All four radar antennas will undergo further testing and integration at manufacturer Lockheed Martin’s Production…
South East Queensland’s Swartz Barracks at Oakey is once again home to part of the Australian Army’s Black Hawk helicopter fleet. Three of the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters have been transferred to the Army Aviation Training Centre in Oakey, near…
The Adelaide-based Defence Innovation Network (DIN) and Melbourne-based Defence Science Institute (DSI)are calling for collaborative proposals on Working Under Water for $400,000 Innovation Grants. The proposals must be led by Australian Defence Science University Network (ADSUN) member universities across the…
Defence has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for SPA9102 (Narrowband Satellite Communications). The closing date for the RFI is 11 August and an industry briefing is scheduled for 10 July. Defence says it is looking for a single, sovereign…
Arlington-based RTX (formerly Raytheon) and San Diego-based Shield AI have announced a partnership to integrate Shield AI’s autonomy system into selected RTX defence products such as loitering munitions and sensors. This collaboration will deliver enhanced, autonomous capabilities to US and…
