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NavyAviationRank #35 of 101 by 4-year cost
AV

Avionics Technician

28-week pipeline · Recruit Training + A-School + C-School (platform) · NAS Pensacola, FL / NAS Lemoore, CA
Training Pipeline
$52K
28 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4/E-5, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$8K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$338K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$52K15%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K75%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$32K9%
Training: 15% · MILPERS: 75% · Equipment: 9%= $338K
By the Numbers

Avionics technicians are the most technically demanding maintainer rating in naval aviation. Their training qualifies them for FAA-equivalent avionics work — civilian aircraft avionics shops pay $75K–$110K for these skills.

Training Pipeline
Duration
28 weeks
Type
Recruit Training + A-School + C-School (platform)
Location
NAS Pensacola, FL / NAS Lemoore, CA
Pipeline Cost
$52K

An F/A-18 Super Hornet carries avionics systems — radar, mission computers, electronic warfare suites — valued at over $10M per aircraft. The AV maintaining them earns $32K/year; civilian avionics technicians earn $80K–$120K.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·Avionics Test Sets (CASS $12M)
  • ·Oscilloscopes/Spectrum Analyzers
  • ·Soldering/Rework Equipment
  • ·Platform-Specific Test Adapters
Annual Equipment Burden
$8K/yr
CASS test set share + avionics maintenance tools amortized
Military Personnel Cost (Annual)
Grade BenchmarkE-4/E-5, 3 years service
Base MILPERS$63K/yr
Total Annual MILPERS$63K/yr
Force Structure Context
Annual Accessions~2,800
Avg Career Length6 years
Annual Training Bill$145.6M
Total Force 4yr Cost$945.1M
Read AV Reviews →← All MOS ProfilesAverage Per-Soldier Cost →
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Cost estimates derived from DoD Comptroller per-soldier analysis, RAND Corporation military personnel studies, CBO military compensation reports, service-specific training cost testimony, and published equipment unit costs. Error margin ±15%. Individual costs vary by duty station, assignment, and deployment tempo. This is Phase 3 of the Honest MOS DoD Budget Intelligence Roadmap.