Military Aircraft Mechanic Jobs by Branch and the Path to FAA Certification

Military Aircraft Mechanic Jobs in Each Branch

No branch uses the title "aircraft mechanic." Each splits the work by aircraft and system, so an F-35 crew chief and a Black Hawk repairer both do military aircraft mechanic work under different codes. Here's what each branch's recruiting site lists.

Air Force Aircraft Mechanic Careers

The Air Force groups its crew chiefs by fleet. Tactical Aircraft Maintenance (2A3X7) launches and recovers the F-22 and F-35. Airlift/Special Mission (2A5X1) covers the C-17, C-5, C-130, and MQ-9. Helicopter/Tiltrotor (2A5X2) works the CV-22 Osprey and HH-60, and Refuel/Bomber (2A5X4) handles the B-52, B-1, B-21, KC-46, and KC-135.

Aerospace Propulsion (2A6X1) tears down and tests turbofan and turboprop engines and asks for a 56 Mechanical ASVAB score, above the 47 the crew chief jobs list. Most air force aircraft mechanic training runs at Sheppard AFB, Texas.

Army Aircraft Mechanic MOS

The Army's aircraft repair jobs sit in the 15 series, and three are named for a helicopter. A 15T repairs and maintains the UH-60 Black Hawk, a 15R maintains the AH-64 Apache, and a 15U works on the CH-47 Chinook.

Component specialists include 15B Aircraft Powerplant Repairer for turbine engines, 15D Powertrain, 15G Structural, 15H Pneudraulics, and 15F Aircraft Electrician. An army aircraft mechanic who wants a civilian job should also read our helicopter mechanic career guide.

Navy Aircraft Mechanic Ratings

The Navy splits aircraft maintenance across ratings, and a navy aircraft mechanic should know four. Aviation Machinist's Mates (AD) are the engine mechanics, trained in a helo, turbojet, or turboprop strand. Aviation Structural Mechanics (AM) handle structures, hydraulics, landing gear, and flight controls. Aviation Electrician's Mates (AE) and Aviation Electronics Technicians (AT) cover the electrical and avionics side, which fits the avionics technician career better.

Marine Corps Aircraft Mechanic MOS

Marine aviation maintenance runs through occupational fields 60, 61 (rotary wing), and 62 (fixed wing), and the MOS names the aircraft: 6113 for the CH-53, 6116 for the MV-22, 6217 for the F/A-18, 6218 for the F-35. A marine corps aircraft mechanic trains on the designated aircraft, then keeps learning on the job under senior Marines.

Coast Guard Aviation Ratings

The Coast Guard's mechanical aviation rating is the Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT), who repairs engines, powertrains, hydraulics, and airframes and also flies as aircrew. The Avionics Electrical Technician (AET) covers electronics. The AMT page lists "FAA Certified Aircraft Mechanic" among related civilian jobs.

How Military Aircraft Mechanic Experience Counts Toward FAA Certification

The Department of Defense and the FAA set up the Joint Service Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Council (JSAMTCC). It delivers civil aviation courses to service members through the Community College of the Air Force and evaluates aviation specialties in every branch. The FAA publishes the specialties it may credit, by MOS, AFSC, or Navy enlisted code, in FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 5, Chapter 5, Section 2, Figure 5-135.

Depending on your specialty, the FAA may credit your experience toward the Airframe rating, the Powerplant rating, or both. The time rule is the same one civilians face in 14 CFR 65.77: at least 18 months of practical experience for one rating, or 30 months performing the duties of both at the same time. The FAA says Part 65 allows nothing shorter.

Here's how that plays out. Say you enlist for 48 months and spend the first 8 in basic and job training. That leaves 48 minus 8, or 40 months of work in the specialty, which clears the 30-month bar for both ratings.

But it only counts if your specialty is on the FAA list for both ratings and your records show the time. Treat it as an illustration, not your number.

The 2025 ATEC Pipeline Report found 14% of new mechanics certified through military experience, next to 20% through civilian work and about two-thirds through school. Our mechanic license guide compares all three routes, and how to become an aircraft mechanic covers the civilian path.

From Military Service to the FAA Mechanic Certificate, Step by Step

For a military aircraft mechanic, earning the FAA certificate looks like the civilian experience route with military paperwork. Your branch documents and files your training and experience records, which helps, but you still carry the case to the FAA yourself.

What the Officer Letter Must Say

The letter certifies your length of service, the time you worked in each MOS, NEC, or AFSC, the make and model of aircraft or engine you worked on, and where. The FAA also lists Collateral Duty Inspector, Quality Assurance Representative, and Engine Turn Qualification endorsements as useful evidence, so bring them.

Testing Rules Military Applicants Should Know

The FAA's testing matrix accepts a military Certificate of Eligibility for the tests it authorizes, alongside Form 8610-2.

Some overseas bases can give the knowledge tests, but the FAA has no Designated Mechanic Examiners outside the U.S., so plan the oral and practical for a stateside leave or after you separate. If your written test report expires while you're deployed, 14 CFR 61.40 lets you use it anyway for the practical test.

Using the GI Bill at an Aviation Maintenance School

If your military aircraft mechanic specialty doesn't qualify, or covers only one rating, an FAA-approved school is the other road.

The FAA estimates 18 to 24 months, and graduates skip the inspector review of Form 8610-2. VA lets you use GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs, and for hands-on programs where more than half of training happens outside a classroom, 22 or more clock hours a week counts as full time.

Several schools also give credit for military training. Somerset Community College in Kentucky says veterans may receive credit for up to three semesters for FAA-recognized military technical training.

San Diego Miramar College offers credit for prior learning for recognized military technical school training, Jefferson Community and Technical College reviews veterans' prior training records, and Western Nebraska Community College says previous military training may apply. At Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, veterans qualify for in-state tuition.

Of the 225 FAA-approved schools in our directory, these 19 state on their own program pages that GI Bill benefits apply. Confirm any school, on this list or not, in the VA GI Bill Comparison Tool, and compare FAA-approved aircraft mechanic schools by state before you enroll.

• Western Maricopa Education Center, Glendale, AZ
• California Aeronautical University, Bakersfield, CA
• Reedley College, Reedley, CA
• Eastern Florida State College, Titusville, FL
• Epic Flight Academy, New Smyrna Beach, FL
• Atlanta Technical College, Atlanta, GA
• Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, IA
• Aviation Institute of Maintenance Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
• Aviation Institute of Maintenance Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
• Wilson Technological Center, Farmingdale, NY
• Federal Aerospace Institute, Swanton, OH
• Metro Technology Centers, Oklahoma City, OK
• Greenville Technical College, Greenville, SC
• Lake Area Technical College, Watertown, SD
• North Central Institute, Clarksville, TN
• US Aviation Academy Denton, Denton, TX
• Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT
• Aviation Institute of Maintenance Manassas, Manassas, VA
• Aviation Institute of Maintenance Norfolk, Norfolk, VA

You can also earn the hours while getting paid. VA can pay a monthly living payment during an approved apprenticeship or on-the-job program, though not while you're on active duty.

And the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program lists Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic as a 5,000-hour trade tied to jobs including Army 15B, 15R, 15T, and 15U, Navy AD and AM, Marine Corps 61XX and 62XX, and Coast Guard AMT. Our aircraft mechanic apprenticeship guide covers civilian programs, and the aircraft mechanic school cost guide shows what schools charge.

Aircraft Mechanic Pay After Military Service

Civilian aircraft mechanics and service technicians earned a median of $79,870 a year ($38.40 an hour) in May 2025, across 138,090 jobs, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $62,630 and $99,130.

Once you leave the service, a former military aircraft mechanic earns civilian pay, and the BLS medians differ by industry. At scheduled airlines the median was $98,300, which is $18,430 above the all-industry median ($98,300 minus $79,870). In the federal executive branch, the median was $76,210 across 12,240 jobs, $3,660 below the all-industry figure ($79,870 minus $76,210).

Federal civilian aircraft mechanic jobs are graded under OPM's Federal Wage System series 8852, with engine work under series 8602, so search those numbers on USAJOBS. Projections Central expects about 11,300 openings a year for aircraft mechanics from 2024 to 2034. For pay by state and metro, see our aircraft mechanic salary guide and the airline mechanic salary page.