Air Engineering Technician

Fast track role A high priority role with an accelerated joining process.
Service:Fleet Air Arm
Branch:Engineering
Level:Rating,Apprenticeship
Technology
Aircraft
Engineering
Mechanics
Aviation
Air engineering technician
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At a glance

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6 weeks

Of paid holiday every year

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£21,000+

The minimum you’ll earn after training

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Zero

Qualifications needed

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Free

Medical and dental care

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£54,500+

Earn over this amount as you progress

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Travel

All around the world

What you’ll do

When you join the Royal Navy as an Air Engineering Technician, you’re vital to keeping our airborne missions on track. That means working with some of the most advanced aircraft on the planet, like the F35B Lightning Stealth Fighter, the Merlin Mk2 Submarine Hunter, the Merlin Mk4 Commando Helicopter or the Wildcat Maritime Attack Helicopter. You’ll carry out maintenance, as well as services and inspections, before and after each flight. The Fleet Air Arm increases our reach as an armed force, and you will have the opportunity to serve on the world's most advanced ships and aircraft carriers deploying all around the world.

If you have questions, talk to us

call us 0345 607 55 55

Your role

  • Be a central part of the Royal Navy’s aviation capabilities, getting hands-on with our planes and helicopters, and making sure that they can take off whenever they’re needed.
  • Develop your engineering skills and specialise in mechanical technology and avionics. You’ll need to use all of the knowledge you gain in training, to find innovative solutions to complex problems, often under pressure.
  • You will have the opportunity to serve  on the world's most advanced Frigates, Destroyers and Aircraft Carriers with new and exciting aircraft Forces.  This includes the F35B Lightning Stealth fighter at RAF Marham, the Merlin Mk2 Submarine Hunter, at RNAS Culdrose, the Merlin Mk4 Commando Helicopter and the Wildcat Maritime Attack Helicopter at RNAS Yeovilton.
  • Maintain, service and inspect the Fleet Air Arm’s aircraft, working with your team at the highest levels of the engineering industry.

What you’ll get

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • Professional qualifications in aircraft engineering, including Level 2 Engineering Manufacture Aerospace.

Opportunities open to you 

  • Study for GCSEs, then A-Levels in subjects including English, Maths and Science. 
  • Gain specialist vocational qualifications – like Level 3 Apprenticeship Foundation Degree Modules depending on career progression.
  • The potential to gain a Foundation Degree in Aeronautical Engineering through the University of Portsmouth as you qualify for professional promotion
  • Streamlined route to registration as EngTech and IEng with a professional body

Skills you'll develop

  • As an Engineering Technician you will be embarking upon one of the country's top apprenticeship schemes
  • We need your enthusiasm to maintain and report cutting-edge equipment on our most sophisticated helicopters and fighter jets, becoming familiar with a variety of sophisticated mechanical, avionics and weapon systems
  • You will become a quick thinker and a problem solver who can integrate and become an essential part of the team
 

Career progression

Day one

10 weeks at HMS Raleigh, learning basic military skills

First promotion – Leading Hand

Further training, more responsibility, lead junior ratings

First year

Complete your task book and learn on the job

Professional training

Develop your professional skills, and earn NVQs

Second promotion – Petty Officer

Become a manager, take responsibility for defect diagnosis

What you'll need

Eligibility

  • You must be aged between 16 to 39
  • No qualifications are required for this role
  • You must be a British/British Dual National who has lived in the UK continuously for 5 years prior to applying
  • Minimum height of 145cm
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)
  • Pass the Naval Swimming Test
     

Skills and interests

  • A quick thinker, with a passion for working with the latest equipment and technology
  • A problem-solver who can work well as part of a team
  • An affinity for aircraft and avionics
  • Enthusiasm for fixing and maintaining electronic and mechanical systems
Check Eligibility

Starting your career

Joining process

Once you’ve confirmed your eligibility, the joining process is as follows:

  • Submit an application

    Once you’ve registered your interest, we’ll be in touch to discuss your options

  • Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)

    You’ll be tested on: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Work Rate, Spatial Reasoning, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension.
    To prepare, you can practise the DAA

  • Interview

    A formal interview to talk through your suitability for the role. This is normally conducted using your own device over the Shine video platform

  • Medical and eye tests

    These are quite comprehensive and must be completed by one of our Ministry of Defence-approved doctors

  • Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT)

    This involves completing a 2.4km run on a treadmill within a certain time, at a fitness centre near you

  • Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)

    This four-day induction to life in the Royal Navy, including a Swimming Test and a fitness assessment, is a pass or fail course

  • Start training

     Once you’ve passed a Security Check, you’ll be offered a place at HMS Raleigh

more about the joining process

Find out more

Initial training

Your Royal Navy career begins with 10 weeks’ basic training at HMS Raleigh, a shore base in Torpoint, Cornwall. The discipline, teamwork, organisational, firefighting and weapon handling skills you learn here will stay with you right through your career.

Aim to get yourself as fit as possible before you arrive. You’ll be doing a lot of physical exercise, and you’ll find it much easier if you’re already in shape.

There's also a swimming test, so if you can't swim, make sure you learn by the time you join us.

more about initial training

Find out more

Professional training

Once you have the essential military and maritime skills under your belt, it’s time to start your specialist training. As an Engineering Technician you will be embarking on one of the country’s top Modern Apprenticeship Schemes, beginning with six months of training Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival School (RNAESS) at HMS Sultan part of the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering, focussing on:

  • Understanding basic engineering principles 
  • Engineering procedures
  • Aviation safety principles
  • Aircraft systems and equipment
  • Weapons, ordnance, munitions and explosive safety
  • Learning essential skills and techniques
  • Developing the attributes and ethos required of a rating in the Fleet Air Arm

more about professional training

Find out more

Request your application
Register your interest
Call 0345 607 55 55
Find your local AFCO

Need more information?

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