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
Australian small businesses participating in Boeing Australia’s first Capability Up-Lift Program have graduated with seven Boeing contracts, including agreements with three new suppliers. The year-long Capability Up-Lift Program, designed to support companies who may not have experience working in a…
DroneShield Ltd has won a launch order from an undisclosed Five Eyes Defence customer for a new target area-specific Satellite Denial System. There are multiple Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) used around the world. The US GPS is the best known,…
Just one month after its formation Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) has issued a Request for Information for its first Innovation Challenge. ASCA is seeking information to support an Australian sovereign Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and trusted autonomy industrial…
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract of undisclosed value by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate a nuclear-powered spacecraft under a project called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). The project will represent…
Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO) will start by manufacturing guided weapons as part of the US supply chain, following an agreement announced at the 33rd AUSMIN (Australia-US Ministerial) talks at the end of July in Brisbane. The…
Canberra-based Skykraft has successfully completed a world-first trial of space-based VHF voice communications as part of its development of satellites to provide space-based aviation communications and surveillance services. This trial supports the work on operational space-based aviation VHF services leading…
The Royal Aeronautical Society – Australian Division will hold its inaugural Aerospace Industry Symposium – Celebrating Aerospace Downunder in Canberra on 11 October. The event will be held at the Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Canberra, and will be followed…
The Australian Government has selected Hanwha Defense Australia as the preferred tenderer to deliver 129 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) to the Australian Army, as part of a major transformation of the Army in response to Australia’s changing strategic environment. The…
The $240 million Defence Trailblazer program has been launched officially by Senator Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Education and Regional Development. It is a strategic partnership between the University of Adelaide and UNSW Sydney with support from the Australian Government’s…
EOS Defense Systems USA, Inc, the US defence subsidiary of Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has been selected to provide the EOS AS-65 gimbal, developed for the R150 remote weapon system (RWS), as the positioning component for the L3Harris Vehicle Agnostic…
