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The differences between weapons engineers and lead 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 engineer. Additionally, a weapons engineer has an average salary of $99,077, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a weapons engineer include engineering support, electrical systems and ammunition. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Weapons Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,077 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $47.63 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 85,352 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Weapons engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Weapons Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,077 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a weapons engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Weapons Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between weapons engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Weapons Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |