U.S. Marine Corps MOS Career Guide

6314 — Avionics/Maintenance Technician, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS):
Civilian Career Guide

Marine Corps 6314 experience can support UAS avionics, aircraft maintenance, field service, aerospace test, electronics repair, and quality roles. The strongest transition documents exact systems, components, fault isolation, test equipment, launch and recovery support, flight-line work, records, and results, then separates military qualification from FAA certificates, Part 107 pilot privileges, clearance status, and employer authorization.

Avionics technicians median: $81,390
Aerospace technicians median: $79,830
FY27 MQ-9A title and training change noted
NAVMC source note
NAVMC 1200.1L assigns 6314 technicians to install, remove, inspect, test, maintain, and repair UAS systems components and ancillary equipment, plus launch, recovery, and other flight-line operations at the organizational maintenance level. The MOS requires U.S. citizenship and Secret clearance eligibility. NAVMC 1200.1M retains 6314 for FY27, shortens the title to Avionics Technician, UAS, and specifies MQ-9A avionics training.
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UAS Avionics Technician / Field Service Technician$50k – $114k8% avionics growth 2024-2034
UAS Maintenance and Launch/Recovery Technician$48k – $120kAircraft mechanic benchmark
Aerospace Test and UAS Integration Technician$54k – $120k8% growth 2024-2034
Electronics Test and Repair Technician$42k – $109k9,600 electronics openings yearly
Aviation Manufacturing Quality Inspector$35k – $76k69,900 quality openings yearly
See full role breakdowns: demand data, hiring notes, and employer expectations →
Document the Avionics Work
A systems list becomes credible when the fault, test, maintenance action, authority, and result are visible.

Your blueprint should separate systems, components, test equipment, fault isolation, removal and installation, inspections, operational checks, records, clearance status, and leadership, then map each area to FAA and employer requirements.

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Section 01

Top Civilian Role Matches for 6314

UAS Avionics Technician / Field Service Technician Closest UAS avionics bridge
$50k – $114k

This is the closest civilian bridge for 6314 Marines who maintained MQ-9 or other UAS electronics, components, and ancillary equipment. Defense contractors, manufacturers, and sustainment teams need the exact systems, faults, test equipment, maintenance actions, software or configuration boundaries, records, and accepted results. Platform access and Secret eligibility can help, but employers independently verify clearance and task authorization. Quantify aircraft, components, inspections, faults isolated, removals and installations, tests passed, repeat discrepancies, turnaround, mission availability, and technicians trained.

UAS avionicsField serviceFault isolationCleared programs
8% avionics growth 2024-2034
Source: BLS OOH: Avionics Technicians · Median $81,390 (May 2024)
UAS Maintenance and Launch/Recovery Technician
$48k – $120k

The official 6314 scope includes launch, recovery, and other flight-line operations in addition to avionics maintenance. Civilian UAS operators and defense programs value technicians who can prepare aircraft, complete inspections, respond to discrepancies, coordinate ground activity, and document status under schedule pressure. The role is not the same as remote piloting, and employer procedures remain platform-specific. Quantify launches, recoveries, aircraft turns, inspections, faults, delays prevented, turnaround, schedule completion, documentation accuracy, safety outcomes, and coordination with operators and maintainers.

Launch and recoveryFlight lineUAS maintenanceOperations support
Aircraft mechanic benchmark
Source: BLS OOH: Aircraft Mechanics · Median $78,680 (May 2024)
Aerospace Test and UAS Integration Technician
$54k – $120k

Manufacturers and test organizations hire technicians to install components, configure test articles, run procedures, capture data, identify anomalies, and support engineering dispositions. A 6314 background fits when the Marine can prove controlled avionics installation, functional testing, configuration awareness, flight-line coordination, and accurate records. Some employers prefer an associate degree or program-specific qualification. Quantify test events, configurations, components installed, anomalies found, retests, first-pass results, documentation accuracy, and coordination with engineering, software, quality, operators, and maintenance.

Aerospace testUAS integrationConfigurationEngineering support
8% growth 2024-2034
Electronics Test and Repair Technician
$42k – $109k

Commercial and industrial electronics employers need technicians who inspect, test, isolate faults, repair or replace components, reassemble equipment, and document results. The 6314 transition is strongest when the resume names instruments, signal paths, connectors, wiring, test conditions, technical data, and verified outcomes without exposing controlled UAS details. Component-level repair depth varies by assignment, so distinguish remove-and-replace work from bench repair. Quantify units tested, faults isolated, first-pass yield, retests, repeat defects, turnaround, and records completed.

Electronics repairTest equipmentTroubleshootingTechnical records
9,600 electronics openings yearly
Aviation Manufacturing Quality Inspector
$35k – $76k

6314 Marines with documented collateral inspection, measurement, records review, or corrective-action duties can target UAS and aerospace quality roles. Routine self-inspection does not equal independent quality authority. Employers need specification reading, calibrated tools, traceability, defect documentation, nonconformance control, and clear reporting. Show actual authority and the handoff to quality or engineering. Quantify components or maintenance actions inspected, findings, first-pass acceptance, rework, repeat defects, corrective actions, audit results, and documentation accuracy.

Quality inspectionTraceabilityNonconformanceCorrective action
69,900 quality openings yearly
Source: BLS OOH: Quality Control Inspectors · Median $47,460 (May 2024)
Section 02

Transferable Strengths: What Civilian Employers See

UAS Avionics Fault Isolation
The official 6314 scope centers installation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and repair of UAS components and ancillary equipment. Translate the system, symptom, test setup, diagnosis, maintenance action, operational check, and accepted result, then quantify faults, turnaround, and repeat discrepancies.
Launch, Recovery, and Flight-Line Coordination
6314 is broader than bench electronics. Launch and recovery support requires aircraft preparation, inspections, status communication, hazard awareness, timing, and coordination with operators and maintainers. Show aircraft turns, launches, delays avoided, schedule completion, and safety performance.
Configuration and Technical-Data Discipline
UAS maintenance depends on approved procedures, correct component configuration, controlled software or data boundaries, accurate records, and clear handoffs. Civilian employers value technicians who execute controlled work and leave a traceable maintenance history without disclosing sensitive technical details.
Test Equipment and Evidence-Based Troubleshooting
Strong avionics work moves from symptom to measurement, isolation, correction, and verification. Name only the test instruments and methods actually used. Quantify tests, faults isolated, no-fault-found reductions, retests, first-pass results, and documentation accuracy.
Cleared-Program Discipline
The MOS requires Secret clearance eligibility. State current status precisely and protect controlled information. Employers need releasable evidence of systems thinking, technical execution, records, quality, and results; eligibility, an investigation, an active clearance, and program access are different things.
Section 03

Common Mistakes 6314 Marines Make in the Civilian Job Search

01
Marketing the MOS as Drone Piloting
6314 is an avionics and maintenance specialty with launch, recovery, and flight-line duties. It does not automatically create civilian remote-pilot privileges. Lead with systems, components, testing, fault isolation, maintenance, records, and ground operations, then add Part 107 only if the target role requires small-UAS flight.
02
Listing UAS Systems Without Troubleshooting Proof
A platform or component list does not show technical depth. Separate inspect, test, isolate, remove, install, repair, configure, verify, document, and train. Add faults, test equipment, maintenance actions, first-pass results, repeat discrepancies, turnaround, and mission availability.
03
Overstating Clearance or FAA Authority
Secret eligibility does not guarantee an active clearance or future program access. Military avionics qualification also does not issue an FAA A&P or employer authorization. State status accurately, preserve practical-experience records, and keep controlled UAS details out of public resumes.
Section 04

Credentials That Strengthen a 6314 Transition

ASTM NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician
Cost $175 examTime 90 questions; two-hour limitFormat Computer-based exam; 73% passing score

ASTM NCATT AET validates foundational aircraft electronics knowledge. SpaceTEC lists the current AET exam at $175. It is an industry certification, not an FAA mechanic rating, employer authorization, or substitute for platform-specific training.

Avionics knowledge signal · Useful across aircraft electronics roles
FAA Remote Pilot Certificate under Part 107
Cost Initial knowledge test approximately $175Time Self-study plus test; free recurrent training every 24 monthsFormat FAA small-UAS remote pilot certificate

FAA Part 107 guidance covers civilian small-UAS operating privileges. It is useful when a target job includes flying small drones, but it does not certify MQ-9 maintenance, substitute for platform training, or grant access to large-UAS operations.

Small-UAS operating credential · Pursue only for flight-inclusive roles
FAA Mechanic Certificate: Airframe and Powerplant
Cost FAA issuance $0; commercial testing and examiner fees varyTime 18 months for one rating or 30 months concurrent for bothFormat Eligibility review, knowledge, oral, and practical tests

FAA mechanic experience guidance explains how documented military work may support Airframe, Powerplant, or both rating eligibility. The FAA reviews actual practical experience, and military classification alone does not authorize testing or issue a certificate.

Broad civil-aviation path · Requires FAA-accepted experience and tests
Section 05

Resume Translation: From UAS Avionics to Civilian Aerospace

The 6314 resume should show the system, symptom, test, diagnosis, maintenance action, verification, record, and operational result behind each claim.

Before: UAS terminology without technical proof
Served as a UAS avionics and maintenance technician. Repaired components, supported launch and recovery, and maintained aircraft readiness.
After: Civilian avionics language with proof
Installed, removed, inspected, tested, maintained, and repaired UAS avionics components and ancillary equipment across [number] aircraft using approved technical data, test equipment, configuration controls, and maintenance records. Diagnosed [number] discrepancies per [period], isolated faults to [component or system level], and achieved [percent] first-pass operational checks while reducing repeat discrepancies by [percent]. Supported [number] launch and recovery events, coordinating aircraft preparation, inspections, status, and flight-line response with operators and maintainers to achieve [percent] schedule completion. Maintained [percent] documentation accuracy across [number] actions and protected controlled technical information. Trained [number] technicians on troubleshooting, test procedures, launch/recovery support, records, and safety, producing [qualification, availability, quality, or readiness result].
The 6314 Translation Formula
Military term Civilian translation Proof to show
UAS systems components unmanned-aircraft avionics component installation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and repair aircraft, systems, components, actions, tests, and accepted results
Launch and recovery checklist-based aircraft preparation, ground operations, status coordination, and discrepancy response events, aircraft turns, delays avoided, schedule completion, and safety
Organizational maintenance on-aircraft inspection, fault isolation, component replacement, operational testing, and records faults, removals, installations, tests, turnaround, and repeat rate
Ancillary equipment support-equipment inspection, interface verification, troubleshooting, and readiness control equipment, inspections, faults, availability, and maintenance actions
Secret eligibility eligibility for consideration in cleared aerospace work, subject to employer verification and program access current status stated accurately without controlled details
Always quantify aircraft, components, inspections, faults, tests, removals and installations, launch and recovery events, first-pass results, repeat discrepancies, turnaround, schedule completion, documentation accuracy, technicians trained, availability, and safety
Last updated July 2026 using BLS May 2024 aircraft and avionics data, BLS Aerospace Technician data, BLS electronics repair data, and BLS Quality Inspector data. Credentials were checked against SpaceTEC ASTM NCATT, FAA Part 107 guidance, and FAA mechanic experience guidance. Duties were verified in NAVMC 1200.1L, and NAVMC 1200.1M was checked for the FY27 title and MQ-9A training change.
Section 06

6314 Civilian Career FAQs

What civilian jobs fit Marine Corps MOS 6314?
The closest paths are UAS avionics technician, UAS field service technician, launch and recovery maintenance technician, aerospace test and integration technician, electronics repair technician, and aviation quality inspector. Fit depends on systems and platform depth, test equipment, maintenance authority, FAA status, clearance status, education, and documented outcomes.
Does 6314 automatically qualify someone for FAA Part 107 or an A&P?
No. Part 107 requires a separate FAA remote-pilot process and applies to civilian small-UAS operations. An FAA mechanic certificate requires accepted practical experience and applicable testing. Military UAS avionics qualification is strong evidence, but neither civilian credential is automatic.
What changes for 6314 in the FY27 Marine MOS manual?
NAVMC 1200.1M retains code 6314 but changes the title from Avionics/Maintenance Technician to Avionics Technician, Unmanned Aircraft System. It also identifies MQ-9A Reaper avionics maintenance training routes. The current July 2026 guide uses the active FY26 title and notes the October 2026 change.
What should a 6314 Marine document before separation?
Record aircraft, systems, components, inspections, faults, test instruments, removals and installations, operational checks, launch and recovery events, turnaround, first-pass results, repeat discrepancies, maintenance records, qualifications, technicians trained, availability, and safety outcomes. Preserve releasable records and protect controlled technical information.
Build the Right Avionics Bridge
Translate military systems depth without overstating civilian authority or access.

CommandPath uses your platform, avionics systems, components, faults, tests, maintenance level, records, qualifications, clearance status, quality work, and leadership to distinguish technician, test, repair, field-service, and supervisor paths.

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