The engineers who design, protect and test military ships, aircraft and equipment, from armor and lasers to the ranges where it all gets tested.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Combat Systems Engineer: Ties together the radars, computers and defensive weapons on Navy ships so they work as one system. Typical pay $130k.
Ballistics Engineer: Studies how projectiles fly and what happens when they hit, to design better protection and munitions. Typical pay $125k.
Survivability & Vulnerability Engineer: Figures out how to keep aircraft, ships and vehicles—and the people inside—alive when they're hit. Typical pay $130k.
Directed Energy Engineer: Builds high-energy lasers and microwave systems that can disable drones and missiles. Typical pay $145k.
Fuze & Safe-Arm Engineer: Designs the tiny mechanical and electronic safety devices that keep munitions safe until the exact right moment. Typical pay $125k.
Radar Signature (Stealth) Engineer: Shapes and coats aircraft, ships and missiles so they look tiny to enemy radar, then measures how well it worked. Typical pay $140k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Armor & Protective Systems Engineer: Develops lightweight armor for vehicles, aircraft and the vests that protect soldiers and police. Typical pay $105k.
Test & Evaluation Engineer (Defense): Plans and runs the tests that prove new military systems actually work before they go to troops. Typical pay $105k.
Firearms Design Engineer: Designs rifles, pistols and their parts for militaries, police and sport shooters. Typical pay $92k.
Shipboard Shock Qualification Engineer: Proves that a warship's computers, pumps and radars can survive the jolt of an underwater explosion nearby. Typical pay $105k.
Aerial Target Drone Operator: Flies the jet-powered target drones that fighter pilots and warships shoot at during missile tests. Typical pay $78k.
Starter: fastest way in
Ordnance Test Range Technician: Sets up cameras, sensors and targets for weapons tests on military ranges. Typical pay $54k.
Ballistics Lab Technician: Fires test rounds and records results in labs that certify body armor, helmets and vehicle protection. Typical pay $50k.
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.