AVIATION ORDNANCEMAN (AO)
The naval aviation ordnance rating — bombs, missiles, guns, and aircraft armament from magazine to wing pylon.
OVERVIEW
Aviation Ordnanceman (AO) is the U.S. Navy's aviation ordnance rating. AOs handle, store, assemble, transport, load, and release the bombs, missiles, rockets, gun ammunition, and aircraft chaff/flare cartridges of the carrier air wing and the maritime patrol force. The "red shirts" of the carrier flight deck are AOs.
AOs work in the magazines below decks, in the weapons assembly areas, on the flight deck loading aircraft, and aboard the strike-warfare staffs that plan air-wing weapons employment.
The aviation community covers Sailors who maintain, operate, and support U.S. Navy aircraft — fixed-wing fighters, maritime patrol, helicopters, and unmanned platforms — both on aircraft carriers and at shore-based naval air stations. The community follows the Aviation Maintenance Officer (AMO) construct and emphasizes Naval Aviation Maintenance Program (NAMP) qualifications.
A-school for the rating runs ~9 weeks at Naval Air Technical Training Center, NAS Pensacola, FL, where Sailors complete the technical foundation needed to report to their first fleet command. Entry requires the ASVAB line score VE+AR+MK+AS=185 and an enlistment obligation of 4–6 years. AOs advance through the standard enlisted paygrade structure (E-1 through E-9), competing in the Navy-Wide Advancement Examination (NWAE) at E-4 through E-6 and via the Selection Board at E-7 through E-9. Senior AOs typically serve as Leading Petty Officer (LPO), Work Center Supervisor, Leading Chief Petty Officer (LCPO), or Command Master Chief (CMC), and may pursue Limited Duty Officer (LDO), Chief Warrant Officer (CWO), or commissioning programs such as STA-21, MECP, or OCS.
Across the active force, AO Sailors are essential to the Navy's mission readiness, and the rating remains an in-demand career field with strong reenlistment bonuses (SRB), advancement opportunities, and pathways into Navy Reserve, civilian DoD, and industry careers after service.
WHAT AOs DO
AOs receive, inspect, assemble, store, and load every aviation weapon in the Navy inventory — Mk 80-series general-purpose bombs, AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM, AGM-154 JSOW, AGM-158C LRASM, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes, JDAM and Paveway laser-guided bombs, and 20mm/25mm gun ammunition. AOs perform aircraft armament systems maintenance (weapons stations, racks, launchers, gun systems) and conduct conventional weapons technical proficiency inspections.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- AOs receive, inspect, assemble, store, and load every aviation weapon in the Navy inventory — Mk 80-series general-purpose bombs, AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM, AGM-154 JSOW, AGM-158C LRASM, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes, JDAM and Paveway laser-guided bombs, and 20mm/25mm gun ammunition. AOs perform aircraft armament systems maintenance (weapons stations, racks, launchers, gun systems) and conduct conventional weapons technical proficiency inspections.
- Stand watches and qualify on the rating's Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS), maintain training jackets, and mentor junior AOs as required by the chain of command.
- Lead the AO work center as Leading Petty Officer or Work Center Supervisor — managing maintenance documentation in 3M/MFOM, parts ordering, and personnel qualifications.
- Support general military training (GMT), damage control, force protection, and watch-bill assignments common to every Sailor regardless of rating.
HISTORY
Aviation Ordnanceman has been a U.S. Navy rating since the early years of carrier aviation in the 1920s. The "red shirt" identification on a carrier flight deck has marked the AO since the modern colored-shirt system was standardized after World War II.
Today AOs deploy with every fixed-wing strike-fighter and maritime-patrol squadron and staff every aircraft carrier weapons department.
The aviation rating structure traces to 1921 when the Bureau of Aeronautics was established and the Navy formalized aviation enlisted ratings to support the rapid growth of carrier aviation between the world wars. Successive consolidations through the 1948 enlisted-rating reorganization and the modern Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) shaped the current pipeline.
Today the Aviation Ordnanceman (AO) rating is overseen by the Enlisted Community Management (ECM) office at My Navy HR and the Center for Personal and Professional Development. Modern AOs benefit from the Sailor 2025 personnel-system reforms, the Ready Relevant Learning (RRL) training continuum, and credentialing through the Navy COOL program — turning rating qualifications into industry-recognized certifications and licenses.
The rating's structure, training pipeline, and operational employment continue to evolve alongside the Navy's transition to Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), Project Overmatch, and the Force Design 2045 fleet architecture, ensuring AOs remain central to the warfighting mission.
TRAINING PIPELINE
- 1. Recruit Training (Boot Camp)~10 weeksNaval Station Great Lakes, ILInitial entry training for all U.S. Navy enlisted Sailors at the Navy's only boot camp.
- 2. Aviation Ordnanceman A-School~9 weeksNaval Air Technical Training Center, NAS Pensacola, FLInitial rating-skills training for AO accessions.
- 3. Fleet / Operational TourFirst sea or operational tourAircraft carriers (CVN-68 / CVN-78) — weapons departmentsOn-the-job training and qualifications in the AO rating with a fleet unit.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- E-1/E-3Apprentice AOA-school at NAS Pensacola; first tour in a squadron weapons division or carrier weapons department.
- E-4/E-6Petty Officer AOQualify as ordnance team leader, weapons elevator operator, and flight-deck "ordie."
- E-7+Chief Aviation OrdnancemanSquadron Ordnance Chief, carrier Weapons Department LCPO, or instructor at the Naval Aviation Ordnance School.
TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS
- Aircraft carriers (CVN-68 / CVN-78) — weapons departments
- F/A-18E/F, F-35C, EA-18G strike-fighter squadrons
- P-8A maritime patrol squadrons
- Marine Corps fixed-wing squadrons (joint billets)
EXAMPLE NECs
- AO-7411 F/A-18 Weapons Maintainer
- AO-7412 Strike-Fighter Ordnance Loader
- U.S. citizenship and minimum ASVAB VE+AR+MK+AS=185
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Pass the Navy physical and medical screening
- Aircraft carriers (CVN-68 / CVN-78) — weapons departments
- F/A-18E/F, F-35C, EA-18G strike-fighter squadrons
- P-8A maritime patrol squadrons
- Marine Corps fixed-wing squadrons (joint billets)