The Aerospace and Defense (A&D) sector is entering a phase where operational readiness matters as much as platform innovation. Sustained geopolitical instability, expanding defense budgets, and longer platform life cycles are pushing fleets harder than at any point in the past decade. As a result, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) is no longer viewed simply as a downstream support function; it is increasingly recognized as a strategic lever that directly influences force readiness, fleet availability, and life cycle economics. This shift is driving A&D enterprises to reengineer maintenance operations through digital services, AI, and model-based approaches. However, unlike earlier automation waves, the current transformation is explicitly human-centric, designed to augment technician judgment rather than eliminate it.