Also called: Counter-Drone Engineer, C-UAS Operator
Detects and stops rogue or hostile drones near airports, stadiums, prisons, and military bases.
You set up radar and radio sensors around an event, watch for unauthorized drones, and track down operators. Engineers in this field design jammers and detection systems.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in electrical engineering, or military counter-UAS training for operators.
Ways in: 4-year college, Military. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Homeland Security, Computer Science.
Growing much faster than average. Fast-growing defense and security niche, not tracked by BLS.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI identifies drones from radar and radio signals automatically; field deployment and response decisions stay human.
Classes: Electronics class, Physics, Computer science, JROTC.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2072.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.