Also called: Air Force 2A7X3, Army 15G, Aircraft sheet metal technician
Repairs aircraft skins, frames, and composite parts, and fights corrosion on military aircraft.
Structural techs patch bullet holes and cracks, fabricate replacement parts from metal and composites, and strip and repaint aircraft. Skills transfer directly to airline maintenance.
Regular military compensation (RMC = base pay + housing and food allowances + their tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-6 ranks, 2026 estimate. Cash in hand is lower early on because junior troops often live in free barracks and eat in dining halls. Enlistment bonuses can add thousands.
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 and ASVAB, then basic training plus about 3 months of technical job 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: Aviation Maintenance Technology (A&P).
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. Scanners find cracks faster; patching skins and fabricating parts stay hands-on.
Classes: Welding / metals CTE, Geometry, Auto body CTE.
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.