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The differences between weapons engineers and lead 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 lead design engineer. Additionally, a lead design engineer has an average salary of $108,490, which is higher than the $99,077 average annual salary of a weapons engineer.
The top three skills for a weapons engineer include engineering support, electrical systems and ammunition. The most important skills for a lead design engineer are CAD, project management, and lead design.
| Weapons Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,077 | $108,490 |
| Hourly rate | $47.63 | $52.16 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 85,352 | 118,073 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 Lead Design Engineer produces design solutions that can be purchased, installed, and commissioned effectively. They are also responsible for the cost-effectiviness and safety of new designs.
Weapons engineers and lead design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Weapons Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,077 | $108,490 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $82,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Agriculture |
There are a few differences between a weapons engineer and a lead design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Weapons Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 lead design engineers' demographics:
| Weapons Engineer | Lead Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% |
| 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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 15.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |