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
US venture capital investor DYNE Maritime has launched a US$100 million ($157 million) fund to invest in maritime technologies related to the tripartite AUKUS agreement, reports the Australian Financial Review. The fund will focus on investments in dual-use technologies –…
To tackle the growing issue of space debris, EOS Space Systems, a proven leader in delivering optical surveillance capabilities for space situational awareness and satellite safety of flight, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EX-Fusion, a Japanese start-up…
South Australia will become a hub for an in-space manufacturing industry after California-based Varda Space Industries and Southern Launch announced a partnership to conduct re-entry operations at the Koonibba Test Range. The first such mission is scheduled for mid-2024. Varda…
Lockheed Martin Australia has completed a Field Capability Demonstration (FCD) of its ‘Agile Shield’ battle management system at the Puckapunyal Military Area in Victoria. ‘Agile Shield’ was developed by Lockheed Martin Australia’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Leadership and Research Laboratory (STELaRLab) in a Next…
The Australian Department of Defence and Mitsubishi Electric Australia (MEA) have signed an agreement to develop and transition a cutting-edge laser capability for the Australian Defence Force to enhance surveillance and survivability of defence platforms. The new capability, being developed…
Sydney-based startup Arlula has won a significant strategic investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. This investment marks a pivotal moment in Arlula’s plan to transform the future of Earth Observation (EO), satellite technology, and space…
DroneShield Limited has launched SensorFusionAI (SFAI), a sensor-agnostic, 3D data fusion engine for complex environments. The engine is already deployed as a module in the company’s DroneSentry-C2 system; now SFAI is a standalone module which can integrate into third party C2…
Lockheed Martin Australia has announced its 12-month sponsorship of the Melbourne Space Program (MSP), a not-for-profit dedicated to developing Australia’s future space leaders. This partnership is designed to nurture and empower the next generation of engineers, researchers and scientists who…
Adelaide-based deep-tech start-up company QuantX Labs has launched what it believes is a breakthrough concept in Defence innovation. The company has built a collaborative workspace named RavensNest that occupies the first floor of the Space Lab building within Adelaide’s innovation precinct,…
As part of the Modernisation of Maritime Electronic Warfare (MMEW) Project, The Australian Department of Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) is seeking information on electro-optic, infrared and ultraviolet systems and products for sensing. The MMEW Project intends to…
