Also called: Army 92R, Marine 0451, Navy PR rating
Packs and repairs parachutes and rigs heavy equipment, vehicles, and supplies to be airdropped.
Riggers fold parachutes by hand to exact standards, sew canopy repairs, and strap Humvees onto pallets for airdrops. They must jump with parachutes they or their unit packed. Civilian paths include skydiving rigger and aviation life-support jobs.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-7 ranks, 2026 estimate, plus the special-duty, hazardous-duty, or skill pays this specialty usually earns. Enlistment/reenlistment bonuses for this field can be $10k-$50k+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.5 years after high school. High school diploma, then Airborne School and ~4 months of rigger school; jump pay adds to compensation. 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: Aviation Maintenance, Textile Technology.
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.
Low risk for 10 years. Packing chutes by hand and rigging airdrops stay hands-on.
Classes: Sewing / fashion CTE, Physics.
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.