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
French company Safran Electronics & Defense is developing a new solution for transmitting and receiving optical communications by laser. This innovation will enable armed forces to share information at very high speed with no risk of jamming or interception, the…
The first cohort of skilled submarine workers from Port Adelaide-based ASC Pty Limited has departed for Pearl Harbor in Hawaii for comprehensive sustainment training on nuclear-powered submarines. Around 30 skilled ASC workers are the first to deploy to the Pearl…
Construction has begun officially on the first Hunter-class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigate, marking another significant step in delivering the RAN’s enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet. The piece of steel cut during the commencement ceremony forms part of the under-structure support for…
US defence giant Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and UK defence contractor Babcock have formed a new joint venture, H&B Defence headquartered in Canberra to accelerate the development of critical sovereign Australian capability for the AUKUS conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine program.…
Californian company Anduril Industries will open a new 100,000-150,000 square foot manufacturing facility to support large-scale production of its Dive-LD family of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, on the east coast of the USA. By investing…
Sydney-based Quickstep Holdings has received a $925,000 grant from the Commonwealth Department of Science, Industry & Resources (DSIR) under the Moon to Mars initiative, As part of an overall $1.3 million development program, this DSIR grant will fund the acquisition…
French robotics and autonomy company Exail has secured a major contract with Rheinmetall to supply 1004 units of its Advans Ursa Inertial Navigation System (INS) for integration into the German Army Caracal 4x4 vehicles. This agreement follows Rheinmetall's recent larger…
The Australian Department of Defence has launched a $150 million Defence Industry Development Grant (DIDG) program. The Grant, announced in the Defence Industry Development Strategy, will soon be open for applications, says the department The new grant program will provide…
Sydney-based online journal Defence Connect reports that the ADF has conducted live-fire testing of a directed energy weapons system against unmanned drones in Victoria. The Defence Counter-UAS Directed Energy Weapons System, manufactured by high-power laser startup AIM Defence, was demonstrated…
The Australian Army and US Marine Corps have conducted a joint trial of Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled autonomous uncrewed systems at Marine Corps base Quantico in the USA. fly over Northern Virginia. The trial saw an Uncrewed Air System (UAS)…
