🔎 Defense Tech Signal — Friday

• A global Starlink outage halted U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessel tests, underscoring operational risk tied to commercial SATCOM dependencies in autonomous maritime operations.
• The U.S. Army awarded Raytheon a $904.6 million contract modification to expand LTAMDS radar production, accelerating fielding of next-generation 360-degree air and missile defense sensors.
• The Space Force is pivoting toward space mobility with plans for on-orbit refueling demos and operational “space tugs” by 2030, signaling a shift toward maneuverable, sustained orbital operations.

Sources:

1) Defense News — https://www.defensenews.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/04/16/starlink-outage-hit-drone-tests-exposing-pentagons-growing-reliance-on-spacex/
2) Defence Blog — https://defence-blog.com/u-s-army-awards-raytheon-904m-deal-to-expand-ltamds-radar-production/
3) Breaking Defense — https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/shifting-gears-space-force-moves-to-embrace-space-mobility-for-orbital-warfare/

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