Aerial Gunner

“You'll man the guns on AC-130 gunships and HH-60 rescue helicopters — providing the firepower that protects special operations forces and rescues isolated personnel. Aerial gunners are part of the Air Force Special Operations Command community and the work is as real as it sounds. Flight pay, a firearms-intensive career, and assignments that put you in the most operationally significant places in AFSOC.”

Aerial gunner is one of the most operationally engaged non-pilot flying careers in the Air Force. You'll work in AFSOC units where the mission tempo is high and the standards are exacting. AC-130 gunship missions are exactly as consequential as the name implies and the crews train relentlessly for the scenarios that matter most. The physical demands and the operational pace are real career features. Hurlburt Field, Florida is the home of most AFSOC flying units and the culture reflects that. Cannon AFB, New Mexico is the other primary location and has its own relationship with quality of life.