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
Defence has selected the Gorinchem, Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group Landing Ship Transport 100 (LST100) as the preferred option for the ADF’s Landing Craft Heavy under Project LAND8710. Eight Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) vessels, based on the 15 knot, 3,900-tonne LST100,…
Canberra-based Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited has agreed to sell its Naval Satellite Communications (SATCOM) subsidiary, EM Solutions Pty Limited to UK firm Cohort plc for about $144 million. The sale has received approval from the Australian government’s Foreign Investment…
Sydney-based Advanced Navigation, a world leader in Assured Position, Navigation and Timing (APNT) technologies, along with European missile manufacturer MBDA, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to co-develop a resilient navigation system integrating MBDA’s NILEQ absolute positioning technology. The co-developed…
Just days after announcing it had ceased satellite communications (SATCOM) procurement activity in Joint Project 9102, Defence has launched a classified Optus communications satellite into geostationary orbit. The Optus-X satellite was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from Kennedy…
Nowra-based defence company Mellori Solutions has unveiled Blue Jay Mobile, a portable and versatile Radio Frequency (RF) through-air testing and training system that the company says can simulate real-world electromagnetic conditions to better prepare operators for dynamic operational environments. Blue…
Paris-based Thales and robotics and autonomy specialists Exail have been selected by the French defence procurement agency, the Direction Generale pour l’Armement (DGA), to deliver eight new Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) with an option to acquire a further eight. The…
The three AUKUS partners, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, have signed a milestone agreement to accelerate the testing of hypersonic vehicles and related technologies. The RAAF has already confirmed that its F/A-18F Super Hornets will be armed…
The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s (ASCA) Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDT) program has signed 21 contracts with Australian quantum and counter disinformation technologies companies as part of an investment of over $60 million with Australian universities and industry partners. This investment…
The Pentagon has announced that additional autonomous capabilities have been selected for accelerated fielding as part of the Replicator initiative, announced last year by US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. This second tranche, or Replicator 1.2, will include systems in…
UK-based research firm QinetiQ has officially opened QinetiQ Laboratories in Mawson Lakes, South Australia. The facility, known as QLabs, will help enable the rapid development of software and prototypes that support the Australian Defence Force. QLabs includes a Software Development…
