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ATE5

Aviation Electronics Technician

E-5 (Sergeant) · Navy

E1–E3E-4E-5E-6E-7E8–E9
HEADS UP

AT2 (E-5) is the working senior tech. The AT3s and ATSNs under you are watching how you carry the bench — and the LCPO is watching whether the section you run produces AT3s who can work without you. The AT1 NWAE cycle and the advanced NEC stack are both live issues now. FCC GROL and NCATT AET through Navy COOL are the credentials the civilian market pays for; start if you have not.

The Honest MOS Read
Aviation Electronics Technician Second Class (AT2, E-5) is the rating's working senior technician tier — the section lead who either owns the fault isolation or reviews the work the AT3s produce before it goes to QA. At AT2 you carry the technical authority the LCPO delegates because he cannot be the technical authority for every job in the shop simultaneously. That delegation is trust, and it reads on your eEVAL. In a VFA squadron the Maintenance Control calls the AT2 when the jet writes up an AN/APG-79 AESA radar fault on the flight deck with a flight in 90 minutes. You are the technician who carries the test set to the aircraft, runs the BIT in coordination with the aircrew, identifies the suspect LRU, routes it to the bench or the IMA, and briefs the Maintenance Officer on the timeline. Not 'I am not sure yet' — a clear technical assessment, a specific LRU call with evidence, and a timeline that the flight schedule can plan around. In a VAQ squadron the AT2 with the right NEC is the technician who runs the AN/ALQ-218 fault isolation during flight schedule surge. In a VAW shop the AT2 owns the technical depth on the E-2D's mission systems and radar electronics that the AT3 is still building. In a VP or HSM shop the AT2's technical authority covers the platform's sensor and communications avionics. The section training role is new at AT2 and it is harder than the technical role. You build the section's weekly training plan — PQS progression for the ATSNs and AT3s, NWAE study guidance, practical proficiency drills, safety-of-flight documentation training, calibrated test equipment familiarization. The LCPO does not write the training plan for the section; you bring it to the LCPO for review and approval. The AT3 who cannot run an independent fault isolation is the AT3 whose gap follows the AT2's training record. The AT3 who advances to AT2 ahead of schedule is the AT3 whose name the LCPO mentions when a C-school NEC slot comes open — and that reflects on the AT2 who trained him. The NEC stack matures at AT2 in a way that changes your post-service value profile. An NEC-coded AT2 with an FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) and an NCATT AET (Aircraft Electronics Technician) credential is presenting to the civilian commercial aviation maintenance market as a qualified avionics technician with both military and civilian credentials — not just a military title. Navy COOL funds the FCC GROL exam and the NCATT AET exam; the AT2 who has not started these credentials should start this cycle. The LCPO will note credentialing progress on the eEVAL input; the AT2 with credentials already on the page is the AT2 the LPO can build a strong bullet around. The FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate pathway is worth understanding at AT2. The A&P is the gold-standard civilian aviation maintenance credential — the credential that Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop, L3Harris, and every commercial MRO employer requires for authorized maintenance technician positions. The Navy experience pathway to the FAA A&P requires 30 months of documented military aviation maintenance experience (verifiable through your service record and the command's maintenance logs) plus the written, oral, and practical exams. An AT2 with the documented experience, the GROL, the NCATT AET, and the A&P is walking out of the Navy with a civilian credential stack that the defense aviation industry competes for. Talk to your LPO about the experience documentation process before EAS — the documentation is easier to build while you are still in than after you separate. The NWAE for AT1 is not abstract anymore. The Navy Enlisted Advancement System Final Multiple Score (FMS) combines exam score, eEVALs, TIR, awards, and education. At AT2 your eEVAL ranking against peer AT2s in the section and across the command is the FMS lever you can most directly influence — section production quality, QA rework rate, training plan execution, NEC pipeline mentoring, and zero integrity incidents. Pull the current BIB from MyNavyHR/NETC and build a study plan with weekly milestones. The AT2 LPO who walks into the AT1 cycle with a documented study log and an EP eEVAL is the AT2 who closes the slate.
Career Arc
  • 01AT2 advancement via NWAE/NEAS — FMS competitive with documented study, EP/MP eEVAL, NEC in pipeline.
  • 02Section lead: bench ownership, AT3 fault-isolation review, ATSN and AT3 PQS signature authority.
  • 03NEC awarded and career-shaping: platform-specific NEC, EW NEC, radar/fire control NEC — defines which advanced billet pipeline opens next.
  • 04FCC GROL completed and on service record; NCATT AET registered and in progress via Navy COOL.
  • 05FAA A&P experience documentation initiated — maintenance log entries and service record verified for the 30-month experience pathway.
  • 06NWAE for AT1 cycle: BIB study plan running with documented milestones; LPO briefed on progression.
  • 07eEVAL ranking building toward AT1 slate: QA rework rate clean, section training execution visible, AT3 NEC pipeline mentoring documented.
Common Screwups
  • ×Rubber-stamping AT3 documentation without actually reviewing it. Your sign-off is the standard the QA inspector holds. When the QA inspector returns the write-up with your initials on it, the error is yours — not the AT3's. The AT2 who signs without reviewing creates QA findings that compound into the eEVAL ranking under 'section rework rate.'
  • ×Chasing an intermittent avionics fault with parts substitution instead of following the fault isolation procedure. An intermittent fault that recurs after LRU replacement means the original FIP was abbreviated. The NFF LRU returns from the depot, the fault writes up again, and the QA trending report shows the work center's NFF rate climbing. Your name is on both documents.
  • ×Letting calibration drift on bench test equipment because the section is busy. Out-of-cal test sets are not a paperwork inconvenience — they invalidate every measurement produced since the last valid calibration date. The re-verification workload that follows an out-of-cal finding falls on the section lead's name.
  • ×Going around the LCPO to the Maintenance Officer on a section technical call or a personnel issue. The maintenance chain runs through the goat locker. The AT1 and the LCPO hear about it the day it happens, and the Chief board packet reads the pattern three years later.
  • ×Phoning the NWAE study cycle because ops tempo dominates. The NWAE calendar is fixed; the flight schedule does not pause for the BIB. The AT2 who misses the first AT1 slate falls behind the advancement curve in a structural way — the FMS gap compounds across cycles. Build the daily study habit and protect it.

A Day in the Life

  • 0500-0600Wake up. If section lead on duty rotation, check overnight write-ups and watchbill changes — anything that needs AT2 action before quarters. PT gear on.
  • 0600-0700Command PT or section PT. The AT2 section lead often sets the PT pace for the AT3s and ATSNs under him. Aviation squadron PT on the hangar deck or the flight line apron. No falling out.
  • 0700-0800Hygiene, chow, into utilities. Pre-quarters: review the day's maintenance production plan on the work center board, check calibration sub-account for anything due this week, review any overnight write-ups from the duty section, confirm AT3 bench assignments for the day.
  • 0800-0830Quarters. LCPO puts out plan-of-the-day; AT1 or LCPO assigns section production tasking. The AT2 section lead has the floor for 90 seconds to brief the section's tasking and any training block for the afternoon. Own the read-out — do not let the LCPO ask twice.
  • 0830-1130Section production. If a flight line write-up came in, you are at the aircraft with the test set — BIT coordination with aircrew, fault isolation, LRU pull and cage routing, and the MO brief when you have a call. If at the bench, complex fault isolation on the LRU the AT3s brought in, documentation review of AT3-completed jobs before QA submission, ATSN PQS line items signed when the bench tempo allows.
  • 1130-1230Chow. Tool sub-account check before leaving the bench. The AT2 who leaves without reconciling the tool sub-account is the AT2 the tool control audit finds at 1400.
  • 1230-1430Section training block — AT3 NWAE study guidance, ATSN PQS evolution witnessed and signed, practical proficiency drill on a common fault isolation scenario, FCC GROL study if the production tempo allows a shared session. Section training plan execution documented for the LCPO's weekly review.
  • 1430-1530NWAE study block for AT1 cycle. The AT2 section lead who builds 45-60 minutes into the afternoon production schedule five days a week enters the AT1 cycle with hundreds of hours of documented study. This is the daily investment the LCPO defends at the advancement worksheet review.
  • 1530-1600Documentation review block — AT3 write-ups submitted today reviewed before QA submission, calibration sub-account updated, section training log updated, any eEVAL input drafts started for the period.
  • 1600-1630End-of-day. Section tool sub-account fully reconciled, calibrated test sets shut down and logged, bench clean, section production status updated on the Maintenance Control board. LCPO deck walk before release.
  • 1630-1800Released most garrison days. Carrier workup, deployment surge, flight schedule extension, and duty section rotation change this block significantly. Duty section: stand senior-tech watch, back-stop AT3 write-up calls overnight, document any after-hours maintenance actions.
  • 1800-2100Personal time. FCC GROL exam prep if in the final study phase, NWAE BIB continuation, FAA A&P experience documentation work, Navy COOL portal checks for current-cycle funding availability. The AT2 who uses evenings for credential work leaves the Navy with a marketable technical package.
  • 2100-2200AT3 counseling touch-points if anyone had an issue during the day — financial, personal, NEC direction. The section lead's after-hours phone is on. Prep next day's section training plan if not already done.
  • 2200Lights out. Tomorrow at 0500.
  • Carrier deployment / surge opsExtended bench hours (12-14 hours on high-sortie-rate days), write-up turnaround measured in hours, LCPO relying on the AT2 section lead to run the work center without daily check-ins. ESD discipline and documentation quality under time pressure is the visible test. The AT2 who maintains the standard during surge is the AT2 the LCPO names as the AT1 candidate at the next ranking.
  • Detachment (small forward operating base or shipboard det)The AT2 on a detachment may be the senior or sole AT — the technical authority for the platform with reach-back to the home shop. Every fault isolation is your call; every documentation entry is your name. Detachment accountability is the most formative experience in the rate for building the independent technical judgment the AT1 rank requires.

Weekly Cadence

The Mon-Fri rhythm at AT2 section lead runs on the maintenance production cycle and the section training cycle simultaneously. Monday is the heaviest planning day — the maintenance plan for the week is published after weekend stand-down, the LCPO's priorities for the week are distributed at quarters, and the section lead spends Monday morning aligning the AT3 and ATSN bench assignments, identifying the calibration sub-account status, and building the section training plan for LCPO review. The AT2 who arrives at Monday quarters with the section plan already drafted is the AT2 the LCPO trusts to run the section during his absence. Tuesday and Wednesday are the core production days. Write-ups are running, bench fault isolations are being executed and reviewed, and the section training blocks are scheduled in the afternoon slots. The AT2's most visible contribution in these two days is the documentation review before QA submission — the section's rework rate is set by what the AT2 catches before QA sees it, and Tuesday and Wednesday are the highest-volume submission days. The LCPO walks the deck on Wednesday afternoon to check the section's documentation log; the AT2 who has a clean log and a training plan under execution gets a Wednesday afternoon that ends at normal time. Thursday and Friday carry the secondary administrative load. Thursday often has a Maintenance Officer sync or a department-level maintenance brief — the AT2 is not presenting unless the AT1 or LCPO is unavailable, but the work center's numbers are in the brief. eEVAL input draft work for the section falls on Thursday if the cycle is open. Friday is plan-of-the-week-out: sub-account reconciliation, calibration routing for anything due next week, AT3 NWAE study progress review, and the LCPO counseling touch-point. The AT2 who brings a documented section progress summary to the Friday LCPO sync — training plan execution, QA rework rate for the week, ATSN PQS milestone hits, AT3 NWAE study update, credential progress — is the AT2 the LCPO describes as 'manages himself' on the eEVAL. Carrier workup, deployment surge, and forward detachment operations collapse this rhythm into production-and-maintenance-only cycles; the administrative and training work gets compressed into the off-shift windows and the post-surge stand-down periods.

Key Skills — How to Drill Each

  1. 01
    Own a complex multi-box avionics fault on the flight line — radar, navigation, comms, fire control, or EW — from the write-up through fault isolation through corrective action, jet back on schedule, documentation closing clean.
    The multi-box fault on the flight deck is the AT2 test. Start with the interconnect diagram for the affected systems in the MIM, identify the shared power or data path, and work the FIP from the shared component outward — not by replacing every LRU on the suspect list. Brief the Maintenance Officer when you have a call with evidence: 'The fault pattern points to the data bus card in the nav system; I need one hour to pull and bench-test it. If it passes NFF I will go back to the diagram.' That brief is specific, it is evidence-based, and it gives the MO a timeline he can work with. The AT2 who says 'I am not sure yet, could be a few things' is the AT2 the MO stops trusting with the 90-minute turn window.
  2. 02
    Run a section training plan that keeps AT3s progressing on PQS, NWAE study, and practical proficiency without requiring the LCPO to manage each step.
    The section training plan is a weekly document: which AT3 is advancing on which PQS items this week, what the NWAE study topic is for Monday through Friday, which practical evolutions are scheduled for the afternoon blocks. Bring the plan to the LCPO at Monday quarters for approval — not for the LCPO to build it for you. The AT2 who shows up at Monday quarters with the section plan already drafted is the AT2 the LCPO trusts to run the section unsupervised during a detachment or surge. The AT2 who waits for the LCPO to tell him what the section is doing this week is the AT2 the LCPO cannot leave alone.
  3. 03
    Review AT3 maintenance documentation before QA sees it — catch the incorrect WUC, the missing corrective-action reference, the vague discrepancy description — so the section's rework rate stays low.
    Build a 10-minute documentation review into the end of every job the AT3 hands you before submission. Check the WUC against the MIM system code. Verify the corrective action names the specific LRU, the technical reference, and the post-action BIT verification result. Read the discrepancy description and ask: 'Can a follow-on technician use this to understand what happened without calling me?' If not, the description is incomplete. The AT3 who gets one corrective review learns the standard; the AT3 who gets the same review six times means the AT2 did not close the loop on the training gap.
  4. 04
    Operate the full suite of IMA bench test equipment — CASS, platform ATE, oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, RF power meter as applicable — and document results in language a follow-on technician can use without calling you.
    CASS and ATE output needs interpretation, not just transcription. The oscilloscope waveform you captured during the signal anomaly investigation has to be described in the corrective action documentation with enough specificity that the next technician knows what the normal waveform looks like and where the anomaly appeared in the frequency or voltage domain. Practice writing bench documentation that a technician who was not present can fully understand — pull a prior job card, have an AT3 read it, and ask if he can reconstruct what happened. If he cannot, the documentation is incomplete.
  5. 05
    Brief a system-level avionics discrepancy to the Maintenance Officer or Maintenance Control chief in terms the aviator understands — what the system was doing, what the fault indicates, what the fix is, when the jet is up.
    The Maintenance Officer does not need the fault isolation procedure summary — he needs the operational picture: 'The radar altimeter has a hard fault in the altitude display channel. I pulled the ADC LRU and bench-tested it; it failed the CASS program at the altitude channel output. I have a replacement from the cage; the swap takes 45 minutes plus a BIT check and I expect the jet up by 1400.' That brief answers every question the MO has before he asks it. Build the brief format in your head before you walk into Maintenance Control — status, fault, fix, timeline — and deliver it in that order every time.
  6. 06
    Mentor an AT3's NEC/C-school packet from idea to selection — and be honest about the billet reality and lifestyle cost of each pipeline.
    The AT3 reads the NEC brochure and sees the credential. Your job is the honest version: the C-school length and the duty station that follows it, the operational tempo of the billet the NEC feeds, the family impact of a VAQ tour or a submarine-maintenance NEC versus a shore-based IMA assignment. Pull the current NEC source-rating NAVADMIN with the AT3, read the source language together, and introduce him to at least one AT2 or AT1 who completed that pipeline. The AT3 who gets pushed into the wrong NEC by an AT2 who was too busy to counsel honestly becomes the AT2's accountability three years later when the AT3 is asking how to reclass.

Manuals & References — What Chapters Matter

  • NAVAIR 01-1A-505-1 through -4 — Organizational and Intermediate Maintenance of Avionics Equipment
    At AT2 you are fluent in the volumes and sections that cover your work center's systems — not just familiar. The QA provisions chapters tell you what level of maintenance authority is required for what action; the documentation standards chapters define what your section's corrective action entries have to contain. When a QA inspector cites NAVAIR 01-1A-505 in a finding, you know exactly what section and why before you respond.
  • OPNAVINST 4790 series — NAMP (Naval Aviation Maintenance Program)
    The NAMP QA provisions chapter is the framework your section's rework rate is measured against. At AT2 you know the QA provisions well enough to answer the section's questions without calling the AT1: what requires co-signature, what requires QA sign-off, what constitutes a safety-of-flight entry, what the downgrade authority chain looks like for your platform. The NAMP is not a document you read once — the updates drop via NAVADMIN and you pull each one when it does.
  • Platform-specific MIM, NATOPS, and MRC series for your aircraft — at AT2 you own the technical content, not just the procedure steps.
    At AT2 'knowing the MIM' means knowing why each step in the fault isolation procedure is structured the way it is — which step verifies which variable, which branch leads to which failure mode, which result requires escalation to the AT1 or a higher maintenance level. The AT2 who understands the procedure structure can troubleshoot a non-standard fault presentation by reasoning from the procedure logic. The AT2 who only knows the steps cannot.
  • NAVPERS 18068 Vol II + current NEC source-rating NAVADMIN
    You mentor AT3 packets off the current cycle, not the copy on the shared drive from two years ago. The NEC catalog entries describe the source rates, the school pipeline, and the qualification requirements for each AT-series NEC. The current NAVADMIN supplements the catalog with active quotas and any NEC changes for the cycle. Pull both before any NEC counseling session and build the conversation from the source document.
  • NWAE Bibliography for Advancement (BIB) for AT1 cycle — current, from MyNavyHR / NETC
    Build a daily study plan with weekly coverage milestones rather than a stack of PDFs. The AT1 NWAE covers the rate technical content plus professional military education content the BIB enumerates. The AT2 who passes the AT1 NWAE on the first slate has 40-60 minutes of documented daily study for six months minimum. The LPO who sees the study log defended at the advancement worksheet review can brief the LCPO that the AT2 is ready. The AT2 who does not have a log cannot be defended.
  • FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License exam guides and NCATT AET study materials — civilian credentials Navy COOL can fund; your LPO will note them on the EVAL.
    The FCC GROL covers RF communications system theory that overlaps the NWAE bibliography — dual-purpose study is efficient. The NCATT AET is the civilian aviation electronics technician credential commercial MRO employers screen for. Navy COOL funds both exams. The AT2 who holds both and is progressing toward the FAA A&P experience pathway has a civilian credential stack that the maintenance recruiting market pays a premium for — and the LPO has a visible credentialing story to put on the eEVAL.

Standards — How to Hit Each

  • Section QA rework rate at or below command average — your name is on the documentation your AT3s produce after you review it.
    Track your section's QA rework rate manually if the work center does not produce a weekly report — count the returns from QA against the total submissions for the week. The target is zero; the floor is at or below command average. When a write-up comes back from QA, conduct a 5-minute review with the AT3 who wrote it: what specifically triggered the return, what the correct entry looks like, and what the AT3 should check before submitting similar work going forward. The AT3 who gets the same correction three times means the AT2 is reviewing but not training.
  • NEC awarded or in-pipeline — the AT2 without a clear NEC path is visible at the next ranking board.
    Pull the current NEC source-rating NAVADMIN before any NEC packet conversation. Build the packet per the NAVADMIN requirements: ASVAB/AFQT score verification, security clearance status, physical screening requirements, sea-shore counter math, command endorsement timeline. Talk to the career counselor and the LCPO in the same week — not on the same day, but the same week. The AT2 LPO who has a packet in motion can brief the ranking board on the direction; the AT2 without a packet direction is visible as the gap on the ranking.
  • PRT Good High or better; BCA in standard; warfare device (AW, EXW, SW as billet and platform allow) pinned.
    PRT Good High requires a meaningful training investment — not just showing up to the test. Build three run days and two strength days per week and run the PRT cycle at training pace, not race pace on the test morning. The warfare device PQS is a documented training program — build the completion schedule with the LPO's knowledge and walk the qual board with preparation, not cramming. The AT2 without a warfare device at a billet that supports one is visibly under-credentialed on the ranking sheet; the device removes that gap and adds an eEVAL bullet the LCPO can write concretely.
  • eEVAL trait average and ranking that supports EP or MP recommendation — LCPO knows your number before the evaluation drafting window.
    The eEVAL ranking is a cumulative record, not a test you take on evaluation day. Talk to the LCPO at quarterly intervals about where you stand in the section ranking and what specific gaps exist. The AT2 who arrives at evaluation day knowing his ranking and the LCPO can defend it without surprises is the AT2 who gets the EP bullet. The AT2 who is surprised by the ranking at evaluation drop is the AT2 who was not having the counseling conversation.
  • FCC GROL completed or in study; NCATT AET registered; FAA A&P experience documentation initiated.
    The GROL exam is available through Prometric test centers; Navy COOL reimburses the exam fee after application through the COOL portal. The NCATT AET exam is available through the NCATT online testing system; COOL funds the exam. The FAA A&P experience documentation requires pulling your service record's maintenance qualification documentation and the command's maintenance log entries that verify 30 months of on-the-job aviation maintenance experience. Start the documentation process before EAS — the records are accessible now and harder to reconstruct after separation.

Technical Mistakes — Concrete Consequences

  • Rubber-stamping AT3 documentation without actually reviewing it — initialing the job to clear the queue.
    The QA inspector reads the AT2's initials and holds the entry to the AT2's standard. When the return comes back, the finding is on the AT2's record, not just the AT3's. The LCPO at the weekly Maintenance Control sync hears 'the section had two QA returns this week' and does not separate which AT3 wrote the entry from which AT2 signed off on it — the section lead owns both numbers. The AT2 who approves sloppy documentation is the AT2 whose section QA rework rate climbs above command average on the quarterly trending report.
  • Chasing an intermittent fault with LRU replacement rather than completing the fault isolation procedure from the MIM.
    The intermittent fault that comes back after LRU replacement is the fault that generates the NFF rate in the QA trending report. Three NFF returns on the same system from the same work center is a QA trend finding; the trend finding names the work center and the technicians whose names are on the documents. The more consequential risk: if the original fault was a safety-of-flight condition and the replaced LRU tested NFF at the depot, the actual fault is still on the aircraft. The next write-up on that system may be an in-flight emergency.
  • Letting calibration drift on bench test equipment because the section production schedule is heavy.
    Out-of-calibration test sets invalidate every measurement produced since the last valid calibration date — not as a theoretical concern but as a documented finding the QA office investigates. The re-verification review following an out-of-cal finding requires pulling every job the section closed with the affected equipment and determining which need to be reopened. The AT2 who owns the sub-account owns that re-verification workload and the LCPO has to brief the maintenance officer on how the drift survived the AT2's awareness.
  • Practicing past the maintenance authorization level — ordering a replace or modify action that requires AT1 or higher sign-off because 'I was sure it was right.'
    The authorization chain in the NAMP exists because the AT2 can be wrong and the aircraft is the consequence of being wrong. An unauthorized maintenance action on a flight-critical system is a safety-of-flight deviation regardless of whether the repair was technically correct. The mishap board will ask who authorized the work. 'I was confident in the diagnosis' is not the authorization. The AT2 who asks the AT1 for sign-off spends 30 seconds; the AT2 who works around the authorization chain spends the next six months in front of the JAG.
  • Going around the LCPO to the Maintenance Officer on a section technical call or a personnel issue.
    The maintenance chain runs through the chief. The AT1 and the LCPO hear about it the day it happens — the goat locker is a small community and the wardroom and the enlisted chain both track when a petty officer goes around the LPO. The Chief board reads the pattern three years later when the packet is under review. The LCPO who cannot trust the AT2 to route issues through the chain stops delegating technical authority — and the AT2 who lost that delegation is visible at every ranking cycle.

Career Decisions at This Rank

  • Advanced NEC pipeline — mature the existing NEC toward the advanced billet or pivot to a cross-platform NEC for the next tour
    At AT2 the NEC you earned at AT3 is the credential defining which advanced billets open for the next tour. Platform-specific NEC holders rotate into the IMA (Intermediate Maintenance Activity) or the Type Wing staff as technical-depth billets open. EW-NEC holders from VAQ tours have career access to the defense electronics market and NAVAIR EW program office billets that the rest of the AT rate does not. Radar/fire control NEC holders are in demand at the COMNAVAIRSYSCOM technical authority level and at major defense prime contractors in the avionics test sector. The question at AT2 is whether to stay in the pipeline you started or deliberately cross-track into a different NEC that better fits the post-service path you are building toward. Pull the current source-rating NAVADMIN, talk to AT1s in both pipelines, and make the decision before the career counselor makes it for you.
  • FCC GROL, NCATT AET, FAA A&P — which credentials to complete before AT1 pin-on and which to target by EAS
    The credential sequencing at AT2 matters for the civilian market value at separation. The FCC GROL is the fastest to complete (exam-only, funded by COOL, covers material you know) and adds a visible bullet to the eEVAL. The NCATT AET requires a 90-minute online exam and direct MRO employer recognition. Both should be done by the end of the AT2 tenure. The FAA A&P is the 30-month experience pathway plus three exams (written, oral, practical) — the experience clock started at ATSN, the documentation needs to be verified against your service record before EAS. An AT2 who separates with GROL, NCATT AET, and FAA A&P on the resume is walking into a Boeing, Lockheed, L3Harris, or commercial MRO interview with the same credential stack as a civilian avionics technician with 6 years of experience. The AT2 who separates with only the military title is starting the civilian credential clock at age 28.
  • Re-enlistment and second-term contract — zone B SRB math versus EAS into the civilian market
    The AT2 re-enlistment window opens in the 12-24 months before contract end. The AT rate's SRB schedule (per current NAVADMIN, pull before any conversation) varies by NEC, zone (B: 6-10 years TIS), and rating manning. NEC-coded AT2s often see SRB offers that look compelling against the junior market salary. The honest analysis: base pay plus BAH with dependents plus SRB net of taxes, weighed against the civilian market salary for an NEC-coded AT2 with GROL and NCATT AET at 8 years of experience. The DoD contractor market for NEC-coded AT2s with security clearances is paying $75K-$110K depending on location and NEC. The commercial MRO market is paying $65K-$95K for credentialed avionics technicians in major aviation hubs. The Navy's total compensation is competitive at zone B — but run the math against the specific civilian opportunity you have, not against a hypothetical. The AT2 who re-enlists into the right path is the AT1 the LCPO is grooming for Chief; the AT2 who re-enlists to solve a short-term financial problem and then decides to get out anyway loses both the bonus vesting and the civilian market window.
  • LDO (Limited Duty Officer) or CWO (Chief Warrant Officer) aviation maintenance packet — AT2 is the earliest viable window
    The AT2 with 5-8 years TIS, an NEC, an EP eEVAL record, a warfare device, and command endorsement is in the viable window for an LDO (Aviation Maintenance officer community) or CWO (Aviation Maintenance Technician — CWO3-5 pathway) packet. LDO commissions into the officer corps as an Ensign with a focused technical specialization path toward the aviation maintenance officer community. CWO is the warrant officer path into the aviation maintenance technical authority track. Both require a strong enlisted record, a command endorsement, and a competitive package at the officer selection board. The honest test: do you want a technical authority career in the naval aviation maintenance system as an officer, or do you want the NCO equivalent track to Chief and Senior Chief with the deckplate leadership that entails? Talk to LDOs and CWOs in the aviation maintenance community — both paths are legitimate and different. The AT2 who packages prematurely without the endorsement wastes a competitive window; the AT2 who waits until AT1 for the first application loses two advancement cycles.
  • Detachment or IMA billet — operational embedded tour versus technical depth shore tour
    The AT2's next billet decision is between operational embedded assignments (fleet squadron deployment, forward detachment, carrier strike group maintenance position) and technical depth assignments (IMA — Intermediate Maintenance Activity — shore-based depot-level bench work, NAVAIR program office enlisted support, type wing avionics staff). Operational embedded billets build the eEVAL narrative that the AT1 and Chief board reads as 'operational credibility.' IMA and technical depth billets build the NEC expertise depth and the FAA A&P experience documentation that the post-service market values. The AT2 who sequences one operational and one technical depth tour before AT1 is presenting the best combined narrative at both the advancement board and the civilian market. Talk to the detailer and the LCPO together — the billet the detailer offers and the billet the LCPO recommends are sometimes different for the same reason.

How the Seat Varies by Unit Type

  • F/A-18E/F VFA squadron (avionics shop, high-ops-tempo)
    The AT2 at a VFA shop during carrier workup and deployment is the section lead under real flight-schedule pressure. Write-up turnaround windows on the flight deck are measured in hours; the APG-79 AESA radar fault that came off the last catapult has to be diagnosed, documented, and resolved before the next cycle or the jet is down and the air plan adjusts. The AT2 who can deliver a clean fault isolation call and a realistic timeline to the Maintenance Officer in that environment is the AT2 Maintenance Control trusts with the next unsupervised flight line call. VFA deployment cycle is the most formative environment in the AT rate for building the independent technical judgment the AT1 rank requires.
  • EA-18G Growler VAQ squadron (ALQ-218 EW systems)
    The VAQ AT2 with the EW system NEC is the technical authority on the AN/ALQ-218 Tactical Jamming System and the aircraft's organic electronic attack systems. The technical documentation and classification requirements are more demanding than at a VFA shop — the EW system's operational performance characteristics require careful documentation discipline. The AT2 who carries the VAQ EW maintenance credential and the associated NEC is presenting to the defense electronics industry at a level the rest of the AT rate cannot access. NAVAIR electronic warfare program offices, defense prime contractors in the EW sector, and DoD contractor avionics test operations all recruit from this specific background.
  • E-2D Hawkeye VAW squadron (radar-heavy, long-range electronics)
    The VAW AT2 builds deep technical expertise on the AN/APY-9 radar system and the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) mission systems electronics. The E-2D maintenance environment has fewer airframes than a VFA (4-5 aircraft) and more complex per-aircraft avionics than any other platform in naval aviation. The AT2 who completes a VAW tour with documented APY-9 radar system maintenance is presenting a technical depth credential that the air traffic control electronics, long-range radar systems, and maritime patrol radar markets recognize directly. The billet feeds the IMA radar depot track and the NAVAIR radar systems program office pipeline at the AT1 level.
  • P-8A Poseidon VP squadron (land-based, ASW electronics)
    The VP AT2 experiences the land-based forward-detachment structure — small maintenance teams at forward locations, independent technical authority with reach-back to the home squadron, and the Boeing 737 derivative airframe's commercial avionics crosswalk. At AT2 in a VP shop the forward-detachment tour means the AT2 is sometimes the senior avionics authority on station with the Maintenance Officer's support by comm rather than by physical presence. That independent accountability at AT2 is formative and visible on the eEVAL narrative. The commercial Boeing airframe crosswalk also accelerates the FAA A&P experience documentation — the systems familiarity carries to the FAA practical exam.
  • MH-60R/S helicopter HSM/HSC squadron
    The HSM/HSC AT2 works in a smaller avionics shop with a broader system portfolio than fixed-wing counterparts. The MH-60R's dipping sonar electronics, radar altimeter, APS-147 multimode radar, FLIR, and communications systems each represent a maintenance sub-specialty, and the AT2 section lead in an HSM shop may rotate across multiple systems in a single deployment cycle. The trade-off: shallower NEC depth but broader system exposure and the smaller-team independent accountability that comes from 12-15 aircraft operations. Detachment deployments aboard destroyers and cruisers at AT2 are the most independent maintenance accountability experiences in the entire AT rate — the AT2 is the senior avionics technician on the ship with reach-back to the home squadron.

What Good Looks Like at This Rank

The good AT2 is the technician Maintenance Control calls when the radar has a hard fault on deck with the next flight in 90 minutes — not because he is the most senior technician available but because his diagnostic is methodical, his communication to the MO is specific, and his documentation closes clean. The MO knows that when this AT2 says 'I have a call with supporting evidence and I need 45 minutes,' the jet is either back in commission with a real fix or correctly down for a real reason at the end of that 45 minutes. There are no 'I thought I had it and then it turned out to be something else' briefs to the MO from this AT2. His section's QA rework rate is at the bottom of the command trending report not because the AT3s he supervises are exceptional — some are, some are not — but because his 10-minute documentation review before every submission catches the WUC error, the vague corrective action, and the missing post-action BIT verification before QA sees it. His AT3s know what the AT2 is looking for when he reviews the write-up, because he tells them why he corrects rather than just correcting. The AT3 who has been through that review for six months is producing documentation the AT2 does not need to read line by line. His FCC GROL is on the service record, his NCATT AET registration is active, and the FAA A&P experience documentation is being built with the command's support before EAS. The LCPO who writes the eEVAL bullet on credentials has a specific, completed item to write — not 'is pursuing.' His NWAE study log is documented through the current BIB at 45 minutes daily, and the LCPO at the advancement worksheet review can defend the AT2's AT1 readiness with a paper record. The AT1 slate that follows is not a surprise; it is the result of a year of visible, documented professionalism that the goat locker was already tracking.

Preview — The Next Rank

AT1 (E-6) is the LPO rank, and the job changes more between AT2 and AT1 than at any prior promotion in the rate. As AT1 you are the Leading Petty Officer of an avionics work center — running 10-25 ATs and owning the section's maintenance readiness from the deckplate up. You write four to six eEVALs per cycle for AT2s and AT3s that pick the next NWAE advancement slate. The Maintenance Officer calls you by name at the weekly Maintenance Control sync to brief the work center's aircraft in commission rate, MICAP trends, discrepancy aging, and QA rework rate. The numbers are yours to own. The Chief board packet conversation becomes real at AT1. The eEVAL profile the LCPO is building across the AT1 tenure is the packet that goes before the Chief Petty Officer selection board — not a single cycle but a multi-year record of leadership quality, technical authority, pipeline production, and community contribution. The LCPO who is editing your record at AT1 is the same LCPO who will endorse or not endorse your Chief packet. The AT1 who produces credentialed sailors (FCC GROL, NCATT AET, FAA A&P, commissioning), maintains clean maintenance metrics, and carries the technical standard of the shop without the LCPO having to inspect every detail is the AT1 the Chief board selects. What you cannot see from AT2 is how much of the AT1 job is the conversation the LPO has — with the Maintenance Officer, with the AT2s competing for section lead slots, with the AT3 who came to the office at 1900 with a financial problem, with the LCPO about the section's ranking in the work center's eEVAL distribution. The AT2's job is to run the bench. The AT1's job is to run the bench AND to develop the next AT2 who can run the bench without him. That second half is harder than it looks from the bench.
FAQ

AT E5 — Frequently Asked Questions

Q01What does a E5 AT (Aviation Electronics Technician) actually do?
You run a section of the avionics work center — the radar shop, the navigation / flight control electronics bench, the AIMD avionics intermediate shop as a senior bench tech, or a carrier-based consolidated avionics intermediate maintenance department (CAIMD) work center lead seat on deployment.
Q02What's the most important thing to know as a E5 AT?
AT2 (E-5) is the working senior tech.
Q03What does a typical day look like for a E5 AT?
Time-blocked day at the E5 AT rank tier: 0500-0600 Wake up. If section lead on duty rotation, check overnight write-ups and watchbill changes — anything that needs AT2 action before quarters. PT gear on, 0600-0700 Command PT or section PT. The AT2 section lead often sets the PT pace for the AT3s and ATSNs under him. Aviation squadron PT on the hangar deck or the flight line apron. No falling out, 0700-0800 Hygiene, chow, into utilities. Pre-quarters: review the day's maintenance production plan on the work center board, check calibration sub-account for anything due this week,…
Q04What mistakes get E5 AT soldiers fired or relieved?
Rubber-stamping AT3 documentation without actually reviewing it. Your sign-off is the standard the QA inspector holds. When the QA inspector returns the write-up with your initials on it, the error is yours — not the AT3's. The AT2 who signs without reviewing creates QA findings that compound into the eEVAL ranking under 'section rework rate.'; Chasing an intermittent avionics fault with parts substitution instead of following the fault isolation procedure.…
Q05What career decisions matter most at the E5 AT rank tier?
Advanced NEC pipeline — mature the existing NEC toward the advanced billet or pivot to a cross-platform NEC for the next tour — At AT2 the NEC you earned at AT3 is the credential defining which advanced billets open for the next tour. Platform-specific NEC holders rotate into the IMA (Intermediate Maintenance Activity) or the Type Wing staff as technical-depth billets open. EW-NEC holders from VAQ tours have career access to the defense electronics market and NAVAIR EW program office billets that the rest of the AT rate does not.…
Q06What's next after E5 for a AT (Aviation Electronics Technician) in the Navy?
AT1 (E-6) is the LPO rank, and the job changes more between AT2 and AT1 than at any prior promotion in the rate.
Q07What manuals and regulations does a E5 AT need to know cold?
OPNAVINST 4790.2 (current series) — NAMP; fluent in the chapters that govern your work center's maintenance level and your qualification scope.; Applicable NAVAIR technical manual series for your platform — all volumes relevant to your NEC-coded billet: avionics systems, fault isolation, AIMD bench check, and IPB.; NAVAIR 00-80T-96 — Mishap and Hazard Reporting; at AT2 level you are the sailor named on the Class C / B mishap report if the chain-of-cause leads back to a maintenance action.

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Published by the Honest MOS Editorial DeskVerified against DoD/.gov sourcesUpdated May 2026Editorial standards