“Our [arresting gear] engines are set at a specific weight resistance for each type of aircraft.”
“My job is to ensure ABE’s have the necessary tools for the job to maintain the arresting gear engines, purchasing cables and CDPs.”
Operate and maintain catapult and arresting gear systems on aircraft carriers. Launch and recover aircraft from carrier flight decks.
ASVAB VE+AR+MK+AS: 161 (temporary criterion; verify after September 30, 2026)
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Aviation Boatswain's Mates in launch and recovery operate and maintain the catapults, arresting gear and related machinery on a carrier flight deck. Flight operations mean long hours in the catwalks and the machinery spaces below, working steam, hydraulics and heavy mechanical systems against a clock. Between cycles you are on maintenance, lubrication, inspections and the records that certify the equipment before the next launch is authorized. Deployments last months, and the flight deck is loud, hot and genuinely dangerous, which is exactly why procedure is enforced so hard. Shore duty brings training commands and air stations, including the arresting gear that shore fields keep for emergencies.
You learn hydraulics, steam and pneumatic systems, heavy mechanical maintenance and the electrical controls that tie all of it together. Operating machinery that throws a loaded aircraft off a deck teaches calibration, tolerance and what a maintenance interval actually means. You become fluent in technical manuals, troubleshooting sequences and the quality assurance paperwork that keeps a certification valid. Flight deck work adds aircraft handling, signals, rigging and an instinctive awareness of everything moving around you. Supervision arrives early, and senior petty officers in this rating run crews, training programs and equipment accountability.
Working a flight deck builds situational awareness of a kind that stays with people for the rest of their lives. You develop physical durability and the ability to keep working accurately while tired, overheated and behind schedule. The environment demands absolute procedural discipline, since a shortcut on a catapult has consequences nobody recovers from. Crew work teaches loyalty and blunt communication, because the sailor beside you needs information immediately and unsoftened. These are tough, dependable people with a notably calm reaction to things going wrong loudly.
There is no civilian job called catapult operator, but the underlying trade is industrial hydraulics and heavy mechanical systems maintenance. Manufacturing plants, ports, shipyards, mills, stage and amusement machinery, and crane and elevator work all hire that skill set. Union apprenticeships in millwright, operating engineer and industrial maintenance trades often credit documented military experience toward required hours. Airport and airline ground support equipment work is another close fit, as are oilfield and marine hydraulic systems. Supervisory time with crews and accountable equipment also supports a move into industrial maintenance management.
Published personal accounts with source links. Each describes an individual experience, not a typical assignment or a guarantee of your own experience.
“Our [arresting gear] engines are set at a specific weight resistance for each type of aircraft.”
“My job is to ensure ABE’s have the necessary tools for the job to maintain the arresting gear engines, purchasing cables and CDPs.”
“We would work 14-16 hour work days and I would stay up for an extra two hours to get the qualifications I wanted.”
Quotes are from U.S. government public-domain news stories (DVIDS, army.mil and other official sources). Individuals and units are named as reported at time of publication.
Before flight ops you're on the carrier deck checking the catapult and arresting gear, tracing hydraulic lines and steam pressure with your crew. When aircraft launch and recover you operate the cats and traps, running the deck edge controls in cranial and float coat amid jet blast and noise. Between cycles you troubleshoot the launch and recovery machinery below deck and log maintenance on the gear.
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 Sailors, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Assignment-dependent qualification and insignia earned aboard a qualifying surface ship or afloat staff—not automatically awarded for this rating.
For enlisted Sailors in an eligible surface assignment, including support ratings. Complete the command's current qualification standards, assessments and approval process. A shore or submarine assignment alone does not establish eligibility; confirm current enrollment rules with the command.
Assignment-dependent aviation qualification and insignia; support Sailors may qualify at authorized aviation commands.
Requires a qualifying aviation assignment or an authorized support-command arrangement, required in-rating technical qualifications and command approval. Current enrollment and pay-grade prerequisites must be checked; this is not a promotion or a badge awarded just for holding this rating.
Restricted to qualifying expeditionary assignments; recognizes tested field and unit-specific proficiency, including support duties.
Requires assignment to a command authorized to administer EXW and completion of its general and unit-specific personnel qualification standards and approval process. Published NSW program evidence establishes this route, not that every Navy unit offers it. Confirm current command authorization and prerequisites.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Navy ABE Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Launch and Recovery Equipment), 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 referenceThe Navy directs enlisted Sailors to rating-specific Learning and Development Roadmaps (LaDRs), and officers to their community managers and officer career-progression guidance. Rating conversion and commissioning are separate application paths, not automatic promotions.
Navy career planning: LaDRs, officer progression, and commissioningService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) appointments require separate applications and program-specific qualifications. The reviewed active-duty page contains FY28 cycle requirements, not Reserve eligibility. Its 1 October 2026 application deadline has passed; this is not an open application offer or a verified designator match for this listing.
Navy active-duty LDO/CWO applicant requirementsSpecialty-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 and maintain catapult and arresting gear systems on aircraft carriers. Launch and recover aircraft from carrier flight decks.
Aviation Boatswain's Mates in launch and recovery operate and maintain the catapults, arresting gear and related machinery on a carrier flight deck. Flight operations mean long hours in the catwalks and the machinery spaces below, working steam, hydraulics and heavy mechanical systems against a clock. Between cycles you are on maintenance, lubrication, inspections and the records that certify the equipment before the next launch is authorized. Deployments last months, and the flight deck is loud, hot and genuinely dangerous, which is exactly why procedure is enforced so hard. Shore duty brings training commands and air stations, including the arresting gear that shore fields keep for emergencies.
You learn hydraulics, steam and pneumatic systems, heavy mechanical maintenance and the electrical controls that tie all of it together. Operating machinery that throws a loaded aircraft off a deck teaches calibration, tolerance and what a maintenance interval actually means. You become fluent in technical manuals, troubleshooting sequences and the quality assurance paperwork that keeps a certification valid. Flight deck work adds aircraft handling, signals, rigging and an instinctive awareness of everything moving around you. Supervision arrives early, and senior petty officers in this rating run crews, training programs and equipment accountability.
There is no civilian job called catapult operator, but the underlying trade is industrial hydraulics and heavy mechanical systems maintenance. Manufacturing plants, ports, shipyards, mills, stage and amusement machinery, and crane and elevator work all hire that skill set. Union apprenticeships in millwright, operating engineer and industrial maintenance trades often credit documented military experience toward required hours. Airport and airline ground support equipment work is another close fit, as are oilfield and marine hydraulic systems. Supervisory time with crews and accountable equipment also supports a move into industrial maintenance management.
ASVAB VE+AR+MK+AS: 161 (temporary criterion; verify after September 30, 2026). This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
This specialty can be pursued through an initial enlistment, subject to eligibility and available contracts. 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
Occupation identified. This occupation was identified in the cited source. This does not verify requirements, benefits, or a current opening.
Navy enlisted occupational standards, NAVPERS 18068F, July 2026, Appendix B (rating enumeration) · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
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: Higher*
* 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.