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
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…
EM Solutions has successfully completed the first of its system level tests for a transponder developed for Telesat’s LEO 3 demonstration satellite. Launched on 18 July, the satellite payload features a flexible bent pipe architecture featuring both Ka and V-band…
The Australian government and BAE Systems Australia will establish a new Aircraft Coating Facility (ACF) at the company’s Williamtown Aerospace Precinct, near Newcastle in Australia. This will see a specialised paint applied to the aircraft to ensure they are virtually…
The Australian Government is investing more than $1.7 billion in three new classes of weapon for the ADF, and a further $1.6 billion in HiMARS launchers. Missiles, including the PrSM hypersonic weapons to be launched from the HiMARS system, will…
Southern Launch and the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation will begin work on Australia’s first permanent commercial sub-orbital space launch facility after planning consent was granted for the Koonibba Test Range in country South Australia. “The development of permanent, world-class facilities…
The US Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded Lockheed Martin a firm-fixed price agreement valued at approximately US$816 million ($1.26 billion) to build 36 Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) Beta satellites. T2TL is part of an overarching plan to strengthen deterrence with…
