Fixed Wing Jet Avionics Technician

“You'll maintain the avionics systems that make Marine jet aircraft lethal and survivable — navigation suites, fire control radar, electronic warfare systems, and the digital backbone that runs modern tactical aviation. Jet avionics technicians are among the highest-paid maintenance technicians in commercial aviation, and Marine Corps jet avionics experience on F/A-18 or F-35 systems is specifically sought by defense MRO contractors.”

Tactical jet avionics work is where the complexity of the aircraft is most apparent — the sensor fusion systems, the mission computers, the electronic warfare suites, and the navigation systems all depend on each other in ways that require systematic diagnostic thinking to troubleshoot. The F-35 avionics architecture is particularly sophisticated and the technicians who understand it are a specific and valuable market segment. FAA avionics technician certification and FCC GROL are worth pursuing before separation. Defense MRO facilities supporting Marine Corps jet programs and airlines with sophisticated avionics operations both hire from this background. The technical depth you develop on tactical jet avionics is genuinely impressive and the civilian market recognizes it.