RAF Weapon Technician - Full Time Career with Apprenticeship Royal Air Force

What you will do in your working day

As an RAF Weapon Technician, you will be responsible for the weapons, explosives, and associated equipment used by the RAF including:

• Ejection seat removal/fit/maintenance
• Canopy/Pylon/Role equipment removal/fit
• Smart bombs/Guided missiles/Weapon aiming systems/Gun ammunition and Decoy Flares
• Explosive Safety/Storage of explosives

There is also plenty of variety; from quite early in your career, you could be arming aircraft with bombs, guided weapons, missiles, loading aircraft guns or working on an aircraft flight line, servicing aircraft and preparing them for flight.

You will be responsible for the servicing, maintenance and repair of ejection seats, aircraft gun systems and missile launchers.

You will have other responsibilities too such as the maintenance, care and issue of the weapons used by your station, including rifles, pistols and machine guns, as well as heavier weapons.

You could be responsible for the safe storage and control of aircraft weapons and flares and also the building and the fitment of smart weapons and flares to the aircraft.

Like most people in the RAF, you could move jobs every few years as part of your through service career management and have the opportunity to diversify and experience a wide range of jobs and equipment.

You will be able to set preferences for the location and type of employment you would like to undertake and there is also the opportunity to undertake roles outside of your specialisation.

Within your first few years, you will get the opportunity to deploy overseas in support of the RAF’s mission.

The training you will be getting

• Whilst completing your Level 3 Engineering Technician Apprenticeship, you will gain a Level 2 Diploma in Aerospace and Aviation Engineering (Military Foundation Competence), you will also gain a Level 3 Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance (Military) delivered entirely in training and a Level 3 Diploma in Aviation Maintenance, the portfolio element completed after training in the workplace
• On successful completion of the application and selection process, your apprenticeship will start with a 10-week Basic Recruit Training Course at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire. The course is designed to help you adjust to a military environment. As well as fitness and military training, you will also learn about the RAF lifestyle
• The next step is a specialist training course at Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford, near Wolverhampton, which lasts about 12 months. This course is designed to give you a basic understanding of your role as an RAF Armament Specialist, including the awareness of explosive safety requirements and the maintenance and repair skills of aircraft weapon systems, weapon launching systems and aircraft escape systems
• You could also have opportunities for management and leadership training. The qualifications and experience you will gain in your RAF career can support accreditation and membership of industry recognised professional bodies

What to expect at the end of your apprenticeship

• The apprenticeship is a gateway to a full-time career in the Royal Air Force
• Promotion to the rank of Corporal and beyond is dependent on successful completion of the Engineering Technician apprenticeship and then on merit by competitive selection
• As you advance through the ranks, you will have the increased opportunity to lead and direct people, managing resources and workforce within your area of work to deliver the required outputs whilst maintaining and instilling the highest standards expected within the RAF