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
American engineering company KBR’s Iron Stallion technology now forms an integral component of the Australian Government’s space domain awareness, the company says. KBR's Australian HQ is in Adelaide. Iron Stallion is a command and control technology that is being used…
The US Air Force Armament Directorate (AFLCMC/EB) and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have selected four companies to build prototype Enterprise Test Vehicles (ETV), drone prototypes capable of being manufactured cheaply and in large numbers and that can also be test…
Toulouse-based Airbus Defence & Space will unveil its new Wingman concept at the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin. The Wingman will be a fighter-type Uncrewed Air System (UAS) commanded by a pilot in a current combat aircraft such as…
Defence industry journal Australian Defence Magazine reports that an unspecified Special Operations Unit of the Australian Army will put the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) first loitering munition - the Innovaero OWL - into service later this year. The magazine’s report…
Nashua, New Hampshire-based BAE Systems Inc. has been selected by the US Navy to develop the Dual Band Decoy (DBD) in a contract worth a reported US$54 million ($80 million) that was awarded last year. The DBD is a Radio…
US Navy submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) arrived in Darwin for a scheduled port call on May 28. Darwin is the first port call of the ship’s current deployment, which began May 17 "We already have a number…
Some of the capabilities and one of the systems selected for accelerated fielding as part of the first tranche of the US Replicator initiative are already in US military service. The Replicator initiative, which was launched last year by the…
The Australian Army is calling on defence industry and academia to pitch innovative capabilities to optimise the soldier for littoral operations as part of Army Innovation Day 2024 (AID24). Hosted by the Australian Army as part of the Chief of…
The Australian Department of Defence has announced the concept design partners for South Australia’s new Nuclear-Powered Submarine Construction Yard (NPSCY). American engineering company Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) and an AECOM and Aurecon Joint Venture have been announced as the design…
Australia is adopting a UK program designed to help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) work under one supply chain system to cut compliance and administration costs in doing business with the Australian Department of Defence and major primes in the…
