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
Sydney based defence AI start-up Breaker has raised AUS$9 million (US$6.4 million) in seed funding from US venture capital fund Bessemer Venture Partners to tackle what CEO and co-founder Matt Buffa calls the ‘operator bottleneck’ in exploiting AI on the…
British company AALTO HAPS Ltd, an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and will deliver services using the Zephyr high altitude, solar-powered stratocraft, is targeting its second launch and landing site to be built in the Northern Territory. Zephyr operates in Stratospace,…
San Diego based Shield AI has been selected as a mission autonomy provider supporting the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. Under the program, Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software has been integrated on Anduril’s YFQ-44A Fury CCA and is supporting system-level testing in…
The federal government will invest $3.9 billion as a down payment to deliver the new Nuclear-Powered Submarine Construction Yard (NPSCY) in Osborne, SA. In a media release on 15 February Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas…
German companies HENSOLDT and Helsing have signed a strategic partnership to develop AI-enabled combat air systems. Their first joint initiative will focus on Helsing’s AI-enabled autonomous combat aircraft, the CA-1 Europa, designed to enhance Europe’s defence capability and technological leadership,…
Australian hypersonic flight pioneer Hypersonix Launch Systems has announced the launch window for a landmark flight test that the company says will move sustained hypersonic flight closer to operational reality. Its DART AE hypersonic air vehicle will be carried on…
US defence contractor Lockheed Martin has unveiled its new Lamprey Multi‑Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV), which the company describes as a breakthrough “plug-and‑play” submersible designed to give US and allied war fighters technological and strategic advantage in today’s contested maritime arena.…
San Diego-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has been selected by the US Marine Corps (USMC) for evaluation in the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. This is the second…
The Launceston-based Australian Maritime College (AMC), part of the University of Tasmania, and HII have announced a major reliability milestone for AMC’s REMUS 100 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Over seven years, the AMC REMUS 100 completed 935 operational deployments with…
Defence’s Science and Technology Group (DSTG) is launching the Australian Energetic Materials Research Network in collaboration with Flinders University and RMIT University, who have been selected as strategic partners to lead this initiative. This network of Australian Universities will accelerate R&D…
