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
Adelaide-based REDARC Defence & Space has signed a partnership with Singapore Technologies offshoot ST Engineering Advanced Networks and Sensors Pte Limited to provide vehicle electronic solutions to the Australian Defence Force (ADF). REDARC has assessed Singapore’s ST Engineering’s suite of…
Sydney-based Advanced Navigation, which specialises in artificial intelligence (AI) for robotic and navigation technologies, has unveiled a new high-tech robotics facility for autonomous systems based at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) TechLab. Located in the Sydney suburb of Botany,…
KBR and QinetiQ have signed a teaming agreement to work collaboratively to deliver Test and Evaluation (T&E) services for the Australian Defence Force. Under the agreement KBR and QinetiQ will share skills and experiences to build on both companies’ respective…
The US Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation to develop and test the advanced, high-speed, air-to-around Stand-In Attack Weapon (SiAW) under a contract worth US$705 million ($1.1 billion). The SiAW is an air-to-ground weapon that will provide strike capability…
The Adelaide-based SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has approved the University of Sydney’s Project P2.59 Technology Development for In-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM). Led by the University of Sydney School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering (AMME), this project…
The Adelaide-based SmartSat CRC has announced a suite of new R&D projects and university appointments in support of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Space Update 2023, bringing its joint investment in the ACT to over $7 million. With the launch…
The Australian Department of Defence has awarded L3Harris Technologies a $328 million contract to deliver new Maritime Underwater Tracking Ranges (MUTR) for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under Project SEA1350 Ph.3. The MUTR program will provide undersea warfare support including…
The Australian Army has issued a next generation technology challenge related to Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the mine detection/mine clearance role. The Quantum Next Generation (QNG) is a series of technology challenges that the Army has created to help…
The Rhode Island-based Undersea Technology Innovation Center (UTIC) has issued a challenge to strengthen the training environment for undersea warfare specialists with a specific focus on AUKUS. Submissions are due between October and December 2023, with judging taking place from…
Port Melbourne-based Sentient Vision Systems has successfully completed live demonstrations of its AI-enabled ViDAR (Visual Detection and Ranging) payload deployed on California-based Edge Autonomy’s VXE30 Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS). The VXE30 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) solution is the latest…
