🔎 Defense Tech Signal — Thursday

• The Marine Corps upgraded the MQ-9B Reaper with a new Knox-5 processor capable of running cloud-native applications, signaling a push toward software-defined, multi-domain unmanned platforms.
• The U.S. Space Force awarded a “Handle 2.0” contract to standardize satellite interfaces, a key step toward faster integration, vendor interchangeability, and scalable space architectures.
• Defense officials and operators warned that restrictive “right-to-repair” contract terms are limiting battlefield maintenance of robotic systems, elevating sustainment policy as a near-term readiness risk.

Sources: 1) RealClearDefense — https://www.realcleardefense.com/2026/01/08/marine_corps_mq-9b_reaper_gets_a_new_brain_1157418.html
2) SpaceNews — https://spacenews.com/space-force-moves-to-standardize-satellites-with-handle-2-0-contract/
3) Defense One — https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2026/01/right-repair-fight-could-make-or-break-us-troops-robot-war-plans/410532/

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