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 Australian government handed down its budget for 2025-26 on the evening of 25 March and then almost immediately called a General Election which will be held on 3 May. Until then, the government is in ‘caretaker’ mode so is…
The Australian Army has taken delivery of its first two of a planned 42 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HiMARS) launcher vehicles, less than two years after the purchase was announced. Defence will spend $1.6 billion to equip the Army’s…
The RAAF’s AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is now ready for operational use after an operational test conducted by a RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet off the coast of California last month, supported by the United States Navy. Defence has allocated some…
In the same week that the US Air Force selected Boeing’s F-47 is its 6th generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) crewed fighter, California-based Anduril Industries is showing a model of its 6thgeneration YFQ-44 Fury autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)…
The US Department of the Air Force has selected Boeing as winner of the contract for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, the F-47. This will marking a major milestone in the…
The Australian Department of Defence will acquire additional Mk48 Heavyweight torpedoes under a $200 million agreement with the United States. Designed for both Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), the additional stocks of MK48 ADCAP (Additional Capability) MOD7 CBASS…
Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), in partnership with the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) in the United Kingdom and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in the United States, is providing advance notice of the AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025.…
Canberra-based Raytheon Australia has delivered the Electronic Warfare Tactical Engagement (EWTE) vehicle from its Adelaide site to fast-track the innovation of local and national EW solutions. The vehicle is designed to assist local defence industry and researchers to test and…
A fully operational, Australian-made nanosatellite has been launched from the United States into low-Earth orbit. Buccaneer Main Mission is the second of two CubeSats launched launched by Defence’s Science and Technology Group (DSTG)under the Buccaneer project, following the successful launch…
Canberra-based Lockheed Martin Australia delivered the first ‘drop’ of operational capability for Project AIR6500 Ph2A - Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) in late-December, as planned, to Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) in Canberra. The Material Release 1…
