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
Melbourne-based La Trobe University and Sheffield Hallam University in the UK have launched a new joint Global Security and Society Institute to help societies tackle complex global security challenges, such as sophisticated cybercrime and cyberterrorism, the growth of artificial intelligence,…
The Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) has confirmed its successful NAVGATE program, which was trialled successfully in 2022, will become an ongoing Defence civilian recruitment program. Applications for the 2023 NAVIGATE program close on 25 June 2023. NAVIGATE is…
The Australian Army has successfully operated an autonomous truck convoy on a Victorian highway. As part of the Leader-Follower trial, a convoy of four autonomous Army trucks followed a crewed ‘leader’ vehicle on a public road in Victoria. The National…
Integration of the complex combat systems on the Royal Australian Navy’s existing Hobart-class destroyers and planned Hunter-class frigates will be done in Australia, following an agreement between three of the country’s largest defence companies and the Department of Defence. BAE…
California-based Anduril has successfully demonstrated its Lattice for Mission Autonomy Operating System (OS) at the U.S. Army’s EDGE23 exercise, enabling an integrated team of multiple uncrewed aircraft to locate, identify and destroy a surface-to-air missile (SAM) site in support of…
Californian technology and communications company Viasat Inc has completed its acquisition of European communications satellite specialist Inmarsat in a deal worth US$551 million. The combined company aims to drive growth in the increasingly dynamic and competitive satellite communications industry, says…
The University of New South wales (UNSW) Sydney has established ROV Engineering Design Challenge for first year students as a follow-up to participation the highly successful SUBS in Schools program run by the Sydney-based Re-Engineering Australia Foundation (REA). In 2015,…
Adelaide-based BAE Systems Australia and Sydney-based technology incubator Stone & Chalk are collaborating on what they term a ground-breaking approach designed to spark innovation within the defence and security sectors. Taking place at Stone & Chalk’s Melbourne start-up hub and…
Would the Royal Australian Navy be better off with a bigger fleet of smaller, missile-armed warships? Interesting question. We’ll know the Navy’s own answer to that question in September when the result of a ‘short and sharp’ review of the…
China is leading the world in high-impact research in 19 out of 23 technologies relevant to the AUKUS technology partnership and has a commanding lead in hypersonics, electronic warfare and in key undersea capabilities, according to a new report. But…
