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The differences between weapons engineers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a weapons engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a weapons engineer has an average salary of $99,077, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a weapons engineer include engineering support, electrical systems and ammunition. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Weapons Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,077 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $47.63 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 85,352 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A weapons engineer is responsible for developing, testing, and managing weapons systems on behalf of a government organization. They may work as an electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, nuclear engineer, chemical engineer, or aerospace engineer. They specialize in developing weapon technologies and national security technologies. A university degree is required to work as a weapons engineer in any defense organization.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Weapons engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Weapons Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,077 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a weapons engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Weapons Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between weapons engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Weapons Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 11.1% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |