AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-3021.00
Will AI replace Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians?
Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians: AI can already handle 1 of 11 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 11 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Confer with engineering personnel regarding details and implications of test procedures and results. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Operate and calibrate computer systems and devices to comply with test requirements and to perform data acquisition and analysis. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Finish vehicle instrumentation and deinstrumentation. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Test aircraft systems under simulated operational conditions, performing systems readiness tests and pre- and post-operational checkouts, to establish design or fabrication parameters. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Identify required data, data acquisition plans, and test parameters, setting up equipment to conform to these specifications. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Design electrical and mechanical systems for avionic instrumentation applications. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Adjust, repair, or replace faulty components of test setups and equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Fabricate and install parts and systems to be tested in test equipment, using hand tools, power tools, and test instruments. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Construct and maintain test facilities for aircraft parts and systems, according to specifications. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inspect, diagnose, maintain, and operate test setups and equipment to detect malfunctions. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 11 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 11 of 11. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 73% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 91% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 9% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 11,280
- Median annual wage
- $82,890
- Middle half of earners
- $67,680 to $111,280
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +8.1%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Aerospace Engineers 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure50
- Avionics Technicians 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure24
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure49
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure33
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure20
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians and AI
Will AI replace Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians?
AI already handles 1 of the 11 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 41 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +8.1% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians?
41 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 11 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 11 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 73% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians, and what do they earn?
11,280 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $82,890 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +8.1% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/aerospace-engineering-and-operations-technologists-and-technicians
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