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
Brisbane-based Insitu Pacific (IPL), a subsidiary of Boeing, and Perth-based Innovaero will collaborate on an integrated solution for a long-range strike capability using Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), providing a versatile solution in an increasingly complex battlespace. The work underway will…
Melbourne-based SPEE3D is working with the United States Department of Defense to deploy 3D printers and equipment training for the Ukrainian army, helping bolster Ukraine’s efforts in its ongoing war against Russia. SPEE3D printers were supplied to Ukraine by the…
Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) equipped with cutting-edge sensors to detect ground mines and explosives are being researched by UK scientists and engineers at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and could alter the face of land warfare. Their research…
Two Australian companies, Adelaide-based Axiom Precision Manufacturing and the Newcastle-based Nupress Group, have been selected as global supply chain partners by Lockheed Martin for the Orion spacecraft program, a cornerstone of NASA's Artemis manned missions to the Moon. Lockheed Martin’s…
Northrop Grumman Corporation has won a contract of undisclosed value from the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to integrate commercial space internet into airborne platforms, advancing connectivity for warfighters and supporting the Department of Defense (DoD) vision for Joint…
US firm Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Mission Technologies division has won a contract from US Naval Sea Systems Command to build nine Small Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (SUUV) for the US Navy’s Lionfish System program. The contract has the potential to…
The Rhode Island-based Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium (UTIC) has announced the first UTIC Challenge. The inaugural challenge calls on academic institutions in the three AUKUS countries - Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States - to propose innovative workforce…
The Australian Department of Defence is investing $220 million in munitions production at factories in Mulwala in New South Wales and Benalla in Victoria. “Improving Australia’s ability to manufacture the munitions our defence force needs is not only critical to meeting…
Sydney-based DroneShield has released the DroneSentry-X Mk2 at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition (AUSA 2023) in Washington, DC. The new system is a multi-mission Counter-UAS solution for mobile and expeditionary fixed-site applications. The company says…
The iLAuNCH Trailblazer, based at the University of South Queensland (USQ), has issued an open call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to access remaining funding to foster the creation and commercialisation of space and aerospace-related research and innovation in Australia.…
