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
UK firm GKN Aerospace has been awarded a £12 million ($24.5 million) contract by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to develop a clean-sheet Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) demonstrator, including a dedicated turbojet engine, within 18 months The programme aims…
On a recent visit to Anduril Industries’ HQ in Costa Mesa, California, the company’s co-founder Palmer Luckey made a very important point: if you want to build something in large numbers, you need to tailor it to the capabilities of…
Sydney based DroneShield Limited has won a $5.2 million follow-on contract from the Belgian government. The contract is for handheld counter Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) systems and associated accessories to strengthen protection around airports and military installations. DroneShield has stock…
The Pentagon’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, has issued a Lift Challenge to designers and manufacturers of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) who can design a UAS that lift up to four times its own weight. Registration is tentatively scheduled…
European missile house MBDA has been awarded a £316 million ($641 million) contract to deliver new DragonFire High Energy Laser Weapon (HELW) systems to the Royal Navy from 2027. The system achieved a UK first in its latest test by…
The Australian Department of Defence has signed a $180 million contract to continue provision of secure Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) satellite communications for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and coalition partners for at least eight more years. The contract with Intelsat…
Californian company Anduril Industries has been awarded up to US$50 million ($77.6 million) in contracts under the Pentagon’s Small Business Innovation Research (SIBR) program for the ALTIUS-600 Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS). The ALTIUS-600 can be both a loitering munition and…
BlueForge Alliance Australia (BFAA) and Adelaide-based Flinders University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on maritime research and education programs in support of AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.…
Canberra-based Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited (EOS) will acquire the UK-based Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) interceptor business from London-based MARSS Group for €5.5 million ($10 million). The Counter UAS interceptor is expected to take 12-24 months of further development at…
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), Lockheed Martin and L3Harris Technologies have collaborated on a flight test that successfully demonstrated Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming using a single-seat F-22 Raptor fighter jet and a GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger® unmanned jet. The effort integrated L3Harris’s…
