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 Space Agency has selected the ELO2 consortium, led by Brisbane-based autonomy expert EPE, to build Australia’s first lunar rover in a $42 million program. NASA has contracted the Australian Space Agency to develop and deliver an Australian-made, semi-autonomous…
The Royal Australian Navy has achieved a major milestone with Australia becoming only the third country in the world to acquire and fire a Tomahawk cruise missile. HMAS Brisbane successfully fired a Tomahawk missile during a test and evaluation activity conducted…
The Australian government has released its Terms of Reference for the Strategic Examination of R&D announced at the last budget in May this year. Australia has a very weak record of commercialising the fruits of its R&D, despite its researchers…
Adelaide-based BAE Systems Australia and Perth-based Innovaero have successfully flown the STRIX Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) armed Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) which was unveiled at Avalon 2023. The flight took place in October at an undisclosed location in Western…
Adelaide-based Fleet Space Technologies has successfully demonstrated Two-way Voice and Data (TVAD) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) for the ADF under the SmartSat CRC’s ASCEND2LEO program which is led by the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), the University of South Australia…
Sydney-based Advanced Navigation will provide Rheinmetall Defence Australia with Fibre-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), for Rheinmetall’s Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV). This follows a previous deal which saw Advanced Navigation provide 200+ FOG INS to Rheinmetall in 2021…
Lockheed Martin and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), supporting United States Indo-Pacific Command and the Department of Defense (DoD), have successfully demonstrated a live exo-atmospheric intercept of a Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) target using the land-based Aegis Guam System…
In an Australian first, the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence CRC’s ‘Mine Counter Measures in a Day’ project has delivered a prototype team of sovereign autonomous vehicles, as well as sensor development and analysis tools for Mine Countermeasures (MCM) in the…
Lockheed Martin Australia, in partnership with Thales Australia, has conducted the successful test detonation of four locally designed warheads at the government-owned Mulwala munitions facility in NSW. It’s understood that these included Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS, relevant…
Stratford, Connecticut-based Sikorsky has been selected by the US Marine Corps to demonstrate the maturity and capability of its MATRIX flight autonomy system. Operationally relevant demonstration flights during 2025 using Sikorsky’s Optionally Piloted UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter will inform the…
