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
The Australian Government will establish a new agency and a new regulator as part of its commitment to delivering Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines. The Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) will be established by Executive Order on 1 July this year and…
The US State Department and Defense Security Cooperation Agency have approved an Australian government request to acquire the Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Expeditionary (SURTASS-E) mission system for Vessels of Opportunity (VOO), along with related equipment, for an estimated US$207…
Defence has appointed the former Chief of CASG’s Aerospace Systems Division, AVM Leon Phillips OAM, inaugural Chief of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise. The GWEO Enterprise will accelerate the establishment of a local long-range guided weapons and…
Defence has awarded Rheinmetall Defence Australia signed a contract to build Multi-Ammunition Soft-Kill System (MASS), to equip its ANZAC-class frigates and HOBART-class destroyers with anti-ship missile defences. The MASS system provides an electromagnetic decoy to protect ships from sensor-guided missiles.…
Defence has awarded a $46 million contract to Brisbane-based L3Harris Micreo to manufacture up to 80 new Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) robots. The new robots will carry cameras and sensors that have an improved ability to find, examine and neutralise…
Applications are now open for DSTG’s innovative NAVIGATE program which aims to strengthen DSTG’s mid-career workforce and broaden the organisation’s diversity. The NAVIGATE program was launched In 2022 as a pilot for a bold action initiative designed to bolster Defence’s…
Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd has shown its IRON BEAM directed energy weapon system at IMDEX 2023 in Singapore. Rafael, alongside the Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) has successfully completed a series of…
The US Navy has declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for its uncrewed Mine Counter Measures (MCM) System. The system consists of the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) MCM mission package (MCM MP) and Raytheon’s AN/AQS-20 Sonar Mine Detection Sets.…
Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) has achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) with the U.S. Army and is now ready to be fielded by U.S. Army units to further support the development of the system’s capabilities. IBCS is…
The Adelaide-based SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) is funding two PhD students to undertake an intensive ten-week internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, USA. Aspiring space leaders Anne Bettens, from the University of Sydney, and Emily Ahern,…
