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
San Diego-based Shield AI has opened a new Australian headquarters in Port Melbourne. This expansion signals a significant investment in Australia’s defence capability and will build on collaboration between Shield AI (which bought Port Melbourne-based Sentient Vision Systems in 2024),…
French company Exail will supply multiple Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) and Mine Identification and Disposal Systems (MIDS) to the Indonesian Navy enabling a fully integrated unmanned Mine Countermeasures (MCM) capability. The contract covers the delivery of four Exail’s Inspector 90…
Saab and the French defence procurement agency, Direction générale de l'armement (DGA), have signed a joint declaration of intent regarding the sale of Saab’s GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to France, including ground equipment, training and support,…
The three partners in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), BAE Systems, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co, have launched a new Joint Venture company, Edgewing, to deliver a major part of the project. Edgewing will be accountable for…
Indonesia will field 48 Turkish 5th generation KAAN fighters, manufactured by Turkish Aerospace, in a US$10 billion government-to-government deal announced during the INDO Defence 2025 expo in Jakarta. Deliveries will be complete, according to TAI, within 120 months; deliveries of…
Dusseldorf-based Rheinmetall and Californian company Anduril Industries have announced a strategic partnership to co-develop and deliver the Barracuda cruise missile, Fury Uncrewed Autonomous System (UAS) and an undisclosed selection of Solid Rocket Motors (SRM) for European defence. The partnership is…
Sikorsky and CAE are collaborating with the US Navy and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to integrate, test and optimize the CAE Magnetic Anomaly Detection-Extended Role (MAD-XR) system for installation aboard the two countries’ MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. Designed and built by CAE…
Airbus Defence and Space has completed assembly of the first prototype SIRTAP - Airbus’ high-performance tactical uncrewed aerial system. The aircraft is ready to start ground-testing at the company’s facilities in Getafe, Spain. The ground testing, comprising structural evaluations, main…
US prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corporation has unveiled Beacon, its next-generation testbed ecosystem designed to rapidly develop and deliver new autonomous mission capabilities. Based on the Scaled Composites Model 437 Vanguard optionally manned aircraft, Beacon provides an integrated environment that…
Paris-based Airbus Helicopters has unveiled HTeaming, a brand new modular Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming (MUM-T) solution. HTeaming is a range of systems that allows helicopter crews to take full control of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) in flight. The first version of HTeaming…
