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
Canberra-based Lockheed Martin Australia has been named winner of the first stage Defence’s $765 million Project AIR6500 Ph.1. This is expected to be a multi-billion dollar, multi-phase program. Defence says it is also accelerating the ADF’s Medium-Range Ground-Based Air Defence…
The Royal Australian Navy will purchase new, smart sea mines to reinvigorate Defence’s maritime mining capability. The new mines will be supplied by Italian firm RWM Italia, a subsidiary of German firm Rheinmetall AG, and will be deployable from submarines,…
“Those words — warfighter, deliver, speed, and scale — are at the core of how Secretary Austin and I have sought to drive innovation throughout the Defense Department, especially in this enduring era of strategic competition with the Peoples’ Republic…
Australian online newsletter Defence Connect reports that Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman will compete to develop and build the US Navy’s sixth-generation, carrier-based strike fighter under the F/A-XX program, also known as the New Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program,…
During EX Indo-Pacific Endeavour the Royal Australian Navy, Defence Science Technology Group and Republic of Singapore Navy met to discuss the development and evolution of autonomous maritime systems. The discussions in Singapore centred around a shared interest in Robotics, Autonomous…
Perth-based satellite communications antenna builder Blacktree Technology has recorded nearly 400% growth in export sales across the 2022-23 financial year, amounting to some $1.2 million. Much of this growth is due to increasing and diverse European demand for Satellite Communications…
Adelaide-based AEROBOND will manufacture launch canisters for Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) as a sub-contractor to the Norwegian firm. The NSM was selected by the Commonwealth of Australia in 2022 to replace the Harpoon Anti- Ship Missile capability under Project…
The Australian Army has confirmed it fired live weapons mounted on an autonomous M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) as part of a Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) demonstration coordinated by its Robotic and Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office (RICO).The demonstration, which…
Adelaide-based AML3D Limited has won a $2 million contract to develop and metal 3D print a replacement component used in US Navy submarines, as well as a smaller contract to continue characterising key alloys to support the US Navy’s submarine…
Thales Australia is developing a master plan to establish a sovereign Maritime Autonomy and SME Collaboration Precinct at the company’s Carrington site on the Newcastle foreshore. This will be implemented If Thales Australia is selected for the RAN Mine Countermeasures…
