Operate weapons and sensor systems aboard AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. Conduct close air support and armed reconnaissance missions.
ASVAB GT: 105
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Explore entry-level paths in Marines.
Marines in this specialty fly and work with the AH-1Z attack and UH-1Y utility helicopters that make up the light attack squadrons. The job sits between the flight line and the cockpit, supporting aircrew operations, weapons and sensor systems, and the mission preparation that gets armed aircraft ready to launch. Depending on your qualification you may fly as part of the crew, running observation and weapons duties, or work aircrew support and flight equipment on the ground. Squadron life is expeditionary and afloat, which means forward arming and refueling points, ship decks, and small detachments far from the main unit. The hours follow the flight schedule, so early launches and late recoveries set the rhythm of your week.
You learn the H-1 aircraft and its mission systems in detail, including how the attack and utility variants share components but fly very different missions. Training covers flight equipment, communications, weapons handling and loading procedures, and the checks that confirm an armed aircraft is safe. Crew coordination and radio procedure are emphasized, because the two aircraft types operate as a pair and depend on clear talk. You become skilled at preparing aircraft and crews under time pressure with the flight schedule moving underneath you. Aviation safety, foreign object discipline, and publication driven procedure are habits the field drills into you.
Working around armed aircraft builds an unblinking respect for procedure and sequence. You develop reliability, since a flight schedule exposes anyone who is not where they said they would be. The job teaches you to stay composed while several urgent things compete for your attention on a hot flight line. Detachment duty away from the squadron builds independence and the willingness to solve problems with the people and parts present. You also gain a professional identity tied to a small community where reputation is earned quickly and remembered.
The specific role does not have a civilian counterpart, so honesty matters more than spin here. What carries over is aviation operations experience, and civilian helicopter operators, airport ground operations, and flight departments hire people who understand how a flight line runs. Defense contractors supporting the H-1 platform hire from this community for training, logistics, and field support positions. Aviation safety, flight scheduling and dispatch, and aviation logistics are realistic office side destinations. Many veterans continue in aviation through the GI Bill, whether toward maintenance certification, flight training, or an aviation management degree.
You start in the ready room reviewing the weapons load and mission profile for the AH-1Z or UH-1Y. Airborne, you operate the weapons and sensor systems, run the targeting picture, and support close air support and armed reconnaissance for the ground force. Post-flight you debrief the mission and coordinate system fixes with the maintenance crew.
No suitable exact-MOS or related career-field video has been verified for this page yet. No unrelated video or search-results page is substituted.
$43,902–$74,948
2026 basic pay only; the same grade and service time pay the same across jobs. Promotions are assumed, not promised. Excludes allowances, bonuses and special pays.
Possibilities for serving Marines, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Earned skill levels: tan, gray, green, brown and black belt. Applies across combat and support specialties.
Belts require documented training, sustainment and performance testing under authorized instructors. Higher belts have additional prerequisites, including applicable grade and professional-education requirements; neither promotion nor elapsed service awards a belt. Confirm the current requirements for the next belt with your instructor.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Marines 7313 Helicopter Specialist, AH-1Z/UH-1Y, official service-wide guidance and any exact feeder-list matches are distinguished below from unverified specialty-specific requirements. Ranks are not separate jobs, and these possibilities are not guaranteed promotions or available contracts.
Examples of higher service ranks
These are service-wide rank names, not a verified promotion ladder for this specialty. Examples are not exhaustive; appointments sharing a pay grade are not additional promotion steps.
Official military rank referenceMarine NCO grades are E-4 and E-5; staff NCO grades are E-6 through E-9. At E-8 and E-9, first sergeant/sergeant major and master sergeant/master gunnery sergeant have distinct leadership roles. Warrant and commissioned officers are separate career tracks. This service-wide structure is not a verified promotion ceiling for this MOS.
Marine Corps ranks and career-track distinctionsService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
The FY27 regular warrant program requires technical and professional qualifications for the requested warrant MOS and selection. A listed warrant destination does not establish an enlisted feeder match. The February 2026 deadline has passed; this announcement documents a selection route, not a currently open opportunity.
Marine FY27 regular warrant selection announcementSpecialty-specific advancement, senior assignments, and eligibility for a different personnel category have not been verified for this listing. No feeder eligibility or automatic transition to another specialty is implied.
Advancement depends on current service rules, performance, required education, qualifications, selection, and authorized positions—not simply years served. Confirm current requirements with an official recruiter or career counselor.
Related military jobs below are for exploration, not promised progression or confirmed transfer paths.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-03. This is a partial evidence review, not verification of every advancement route for this specialty. Source retrieval dates do not replace policy effective dates.
Career-field mappings, not automatic qualifications. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). O*NET links explain each occupation; military experience does not guarantee a job or salary.
Operate weapons and sensor systems aboard AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. Conduct close air support and armed reconnaissance missions.
Marines in this specialty fly and work with the AH-1Z attack and UH-1Y utility helicopters that make up the light attack squadrons. The job sits between the flight line and the cockpit, supporting aircrew operations, weapons and sensor systems, and the mission preparation that gets armed aircraft ready to launch. Depending on your qualification you may fly as part of the crew, running observation and weapons duties, or work aircrew support and flight equipment on the ground. Squadron life is expeditionary and afloat, which means forward arming and refueling points, ship decks, and small detachments far from the main unit. The hours follow the flight schedule, so early launches and late recoveries set the rhythm of your week.
You learn the H-1 aircraft and its mission systems in detail, including how the attack and utility variants share components but fly very different missions. Training covers flight equipment, communications, weapons handling and loading procedures, and the checks that confirm an armed aircraft is safe. Crew coordination and radio procedure are emphasized, because the two aircraft types operate as a pair and depend on clear talk. You become skilled at preparing aircraft and crews under time pressure with the flight schedule moving underneath you. Aviation safety, foreign object discipline, and publication driven procedure are habits the field drills into you.
The specific role does not have a civilian counterpart, so honesty matters more than spin here. What carries over is aviation operations experience, and civilian helicopter operators, airport ground operations, and flight departments hire people who understand how a flight line runs. Defense contractors supporting the H-1 platform hire from this community for training, logistics, and field support positions. Aviation safety, flight scheduling and dispatch, and aviation logistics are realistic office side destinations. Many veterans continue in aviation through the GI Bill, whether toward maintenance certification, flight training, or an aviation management degree.
ASVAB GT: 105. This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
This is an additional qualification added to another specialty, not a job you enlist into. Confirm the current status of this specific classification with an official recruiter.
Catalog sources consulted: 2026-09-26. This is not an entry-by-entry verification date. No record-specific verification date is recorded. Occupation audit evidence reviewed: 2026-09-26; this does not re-verify every requirement.
Official branch occupation evidence
NAVMC 1200.1L, FY26 Military Occupational Specialties Manual (effective October 1, 2025), chapter 1 · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
This is an additional qualification added to another specialty, not a job you enlist into.
No dated public inventory confirmed a currently open recruiting contract for this role. This does not mean there are no openings. Confirm current eligibility and offers with an official recruiter.
Deployment likelihood: Moderate*
* Estimated. Rank progression and specialty-pay eligibility are illustrative assumptions. Deployment likelihood, when shown, is inferred from similar specialties in the branch and career field, not a published specialty deployment rate.
Descriptions may change. No military role is free from risk of injury or death, including non-combat work. Catalog review dates do not establish current openings or re-verification of every requirement.
Recruiting signals reflect what each branch published on the dates shown. They are not offers, and they do not mean a contract is open for you. Eligibility depends on your ASVAB scores, medical qualification, security clearance eligibility, and ship date. Confirm everything with an official recruiter. See our Disclaimer and Terms.