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
Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, will travel to the USA this week for industry and government-to-government talks on defence industry expansion and also on deeper cooperation on international development and the Pacific. Conroy is also Australia’s Minister for…
Australian-made steel will be used in the construction of Australia’s conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines built at Osborne Naval Shipyard, South Australia, subject to a comprehensive qualification process. The Australian Submarine Agency has signed a $15 million contract with Australian steel manufacturer,…
QuantX Labs has secured $750,000 funding for an innovative research project aimed at revolutionizing a secured Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) capability for defence applications. The project, titled “Quantum-Secured Time Transfer for Resilient PNT,” will receive support from Department of…
For the first time, Australian Army training now includes counter-drone tactics and engagement. A drone target shoot was included on Exercise Iron Warrior, the culminating live-fire exercise on the Army’s mechanised regimental officers’ course. The serial was added in response…
The Brisbane-based ELO2 consortium has unveiled a prototype of what could become Australia’s first lunar rover. The consortium is working on the project under Stage 1 of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars Trailblazer program which aims to land the…
Some $4.45 million in seed funding from deep tech and industry expert investors Main Sequence, Beaten Zone Venture Partners and Salus Ventures will enable Melbourne-based Arkeus to scale its next-generation hardware-enabled software platform for search, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.…
The University of Melbourne and the Italian Space Agency have successfully launched the SpIRIT nanosatellite mission, supported by the Australian Space Agency. The Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal nanosatellite (SpIRIT) was placed into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket…
The Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) has tested successfully two undersea communications and ISR technologies at this year’s EX Autonomous Warrior, held in Jervis Bay in the fortnight before the Indo Pacific 2023 maritime expo in Sydney. Rock Lobster…
Cairns-based NORSTA North Pty Ltd has been awarded the Regional Maintenance Provider contract to operate a Regional Maintenance Centre, known as RMC North, located in Darwin. The five-year $150 million contract will create 37 direct jobs and support a broader…
The Group CEO of the biggest Australian-owned supplier of military munitions has laid out a detailed plan to mobilise the nation’s defence industrial base, emphasising “it’s time for urgency, optimism and action”. NIOA Group CEO Robert Nioa used a keynote…
