Also called: Air Force 1A8X2, Airborne Intelligence Operator
Flies on spy planes or crews drones, picking out enemy radio and radar signals and passing real-time warnings to troops and pilots.
Operators sit at consoles aboard aircraft like the RC-135, or on drone mission crews, scanning signals and identifying what they are. When a threat shows up they warn pilots or ground forces in seconds. After flights they write reports for intelligence analysts.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-7 ranks, 2026 estimate, plus the special-duty, flight or hazardous-duty pays this job usually earns.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1.5 years after high school. High school diploma, strong test scores, top-secret clearance, Air Force basic training, then intelligence and aircrew training. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Intelligence Studies, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI is taking over signal sorting; human judgment on threats and warnings stays for now.
Classes: Physics, Computer science, Geography.
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.