Weapons engineer vs senior mechanical engineer

The differences between weapons engineers and senior mechanical 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 senior mechanical engineer. Additionally, a senior mechanical engineer has an average salary of $103,836, 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 senior mechanical engineer are mechanical engineering, CAD, and solidworks.

Weapons engineer vs senior mechanical engineer overview

	Weapons Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Yearly salary	$99,077	$103,836
Hourly rate	$47.63	$49.92
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	85,352	98,063
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

What does a weapons engineer do?

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.

What does a senior mechanical engineer do?

A senior mechanical engineer is responsible for designing and improving mechanical equipment, as well as industrial devices and machinery. Senior mechanical engineers verify the materials and resources, ensuring that the processes meet the budget goals from clients' specifications and requirements. They also monitor the manufacturing process, developing strategic procedures for operations improvement, and maximizing staff productivity. A senior mechanical engineer runs multiple diagnostic tests to guarantee the stability and efficiency of the item and coordinating with the client for any plan adjustments as needed.

Weapons engineer vs senior mechanical engineer salary

Weapons engineers and senior mechanical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Weapons Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Average salary	$99,077	$103,836
Salary range	Between $65,000 And $150,000	Between $79,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Google
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between weapons engineer and senior mechanical engineer education

There are a few differences between a weapons engineer and a senior mechanical engineer in terms of educational background:

	Weapons Engineer	Senior Mechanical 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

Weapons engineer vs senior mechanical engineer demographics

Here are the differences between weapons engineers' and senior mechanical engineers' demographics:

	Weapons Engineer	Senior Mechanical Engineer
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%	Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8%
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, 8.3% Asian, 15.8% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between weapons engineer and senior mechanical engineer duties and responsibilities

Weapons engineer example responsibilities.

Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
Establish specifications for cryogenic valves, vacuum jacket hoses / couplings and other machine interfaces require for LN2 retrofit.
Identify cost, capability, risk, and supplier issues during EMD for ensuring successful introduction into manufacturing.
Conduct geotechnical and environmental subsurface investigations.
Develop design specifications, implement RTL, generate simulation models, test benches, design software and documentation.

Senior mechanical engineer example responsibilities.

Create DFMEA documents to help manage risks and improve initial quality.
Set up and manage PCB manufacturing including all chemical baths, lasers, and exposure equipment.
Restructure VHDL code and chip/module hierarchy to achieve timing goals for the dual cache controller and the chip.
Achieve timely convergence of complex designs by building RTL models from validation area and integrating them, before official model release.
Lead FPGA development of key digital communication component used in successful demonstration of spacecraft radio link.
Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.

Weapons engineer vs senior mechanical engineer skills

Common weapons engineer skills

Engineering Support, 47%
Electrical Systems, 43%
Ammunition, 9%

Common senior mechanical engineer skills

Mechanical Engineering, 15%
CAD, 7%
Solidworks, 7%
Mechanical Design, 5%
Mechanical Systems, 5%
HVAC, 4%

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Weapons Engineer vs Senior Mechanical Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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