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Mechanical Engineer Salary in Defense Contracting

Defence ME medians run $100,280 to $112,900 across the three BLS sectors that prime work is classified under, covering 25,330 engineers. BLS does not publish a defence-contracting industry, so this page shows the three real cells rather than one combined figure. The primes (Lockheed, RTX, Northrop, GD, BAE, L3Harris) and their subcontractor tail sit inside them.

Sector figures are published BLS OEWS May 2025 cells for SOC 17-2141. Page last reviewed June 2026.

Defense Median Range

$100,280 to $112,900

across the three published sectors, vs national median $104,110

Defense Employment

25,330

MEs across major primes

TS/SCI Premium

+$15K - $30K

over unclearcred base

A flatter, more stable pay curve than commercial

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics publish no defence-contracting industry at all, and the obvious candidate code, NAICS 336414 (guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing), returns no mechanical-engineer data. Defence primes are classified by what they build, so their mechanical-engineering workforce is split across three published sectors, shown below at the May 2025 release. A single defence median would have to combine them, and medians cannot be combined.

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing

NAICS 336400

Median: $112,900
Mean: $124,370
MEs: 12,060

Aircraft, missiles and space vehicles. Where most Lockheed, Northrop, RTX and Boeing Defense ME work sits.

Navigational, measuring and control instruments

NAICS 334500

Median: $106,210
Mean: $117,010
MEs: 10,800

Sensors, avionics, radar and guidance. Large at RTX, L3Harris and Northrop.

Ship and boat building

NAICS 336600

Median: $100,280
Mean: $104,810
MEs: 2,470

Naval programmes at General Dynamics (Electric Boat, NASSCO) and HII.

BLS sector	Median	Mean	MEs	Who sits here
Aerospace product and parts manufacturingNAICS 336400	$112,900	$124,370	12,060	Aircraft, missiles and space vehicles. Where most Lockheed, Northrop, RTX and Boeing Defense ME work sits.
Navigational, measuring and control instrumentsNAICS 334500	$106,210	$117,010	10,800	Sensors, avionics, radar and guidance. Large at RTX, L3Harris and Northrop.
Ship and boat buildingNAICS 336600	$100,280	$104,810	2,470	Naval programmes at General Dynamics (Electric Boat, NASSCO) and HII.

BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 17-2141, national by NAICS. Pulled from the BLS public API and checked 4 October 2026.

Taken together those cells sit modestly above the national ME median of $104,110, with the aerospace-classified work furthest ahead and shipbuilding roughly level with it. The premium is real but smaller than commercial hardware tech (Apple, Google, Tesla pay senior MEs $150,000+ base with much larger RSU). The defense compensation curve is flatter and more predictable: entry levels start in the $68,000 to $84,000 range, senior ICs cap around $145,000 to $160,000 base, and principal engineers reach $175,000 to $195,000 base. Total compensation at the largest primes adds 10 to 25 percent in RSU and annual bonus, but rarely doubles base the way RSU does at FAANG hardware.

Per-prime pay bands

Prime	BLS sector	All employees	Programs and Notes
Lockheed Martin	Mostly NAICS 336400	122,000	F-35, missile defense, satellites. Largest US defense prime. Strong pension and RSU program.
Raytheon Technologies (RTX)	336400 and 334500	185,000	Missiles, radars, jet engines (Pratt and Whitney). Combined Raytheon and UTC entity. RSU program plus bonus.
Northrop Grumman	336400 and 334500	100,000	B-21 Raider, NGI missile interceptor, autonomous systems. Strong RSU and bonus on classified programs.
General Dynamics	336600 and 336400	100,000	Combat systems, marine systems (submarines, Electric Boat Groton), IT services. The marine side is classified under shipbuilding, the lowest paying of the three sectors.
BAE Systems Inc (US)	334500 and 336600	35,000	Combat vehicles, electronic systems, ship repair. US subsidiary of a UK parent. Less RSU, more cash bonus.
L3Harris Technologies	Mostly NAICS 334500	47,000	Tactical comms, geospatial, space systems. Formed by the L3 and Harris merger in 2019.

The security clearance premium

Clearance adds materially to defense ME compensation because the cleared candidate pool is small. The full-scope polygraph required for the highest tier (TS/SCI with poly) takes 12 to 24 months from initiation to grant, costs the employer $5,000 to $15,000 in investigation fees, and the candidate cannot work on the cleared program until granted. Employers price-match accordingly.

Clearance Tier	Premium	Where Required
No clearance	Commercial-equivalent roles	The bulk of defence ME work on unclassified programmes and commercial derivatives.
Secret clearance	Most programme-level engineering	The common baseline for prime engineering staff. Months rather than years to adjudicate, so the scarcity premium is the smallest of the cleared tiers.
Top Secret (TS)	Special access and some SCI programmes	A longer investigation and a smaller pool, which is what makes cleared candidates portable between primes.
TS/SCI	Intelligence-community contract work, NRO, classified satellite programmes	Sponsorship is programme-tied, so holders are scarce and hard to replace mid-programme.
TS/SCI with polygraph	NSA and CIA contractor roles	Full-scope polygraph required. The smallest pool and the longest lead time to onboard a replacement.

Once cleared, the engineer's market value increases significantly even outside the original employer. A TS/SCI with poly clearance held within the last two years is the single most valuable resume credential in defense engineering after the BS degree itself, and consulting firms (Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC, Leidos, ManTech) pay premium hourly rates for cleared subject-matter experts. The flip side: clearance is hard to maintain (annual reinvestigation, foreign-contact disclosure, debt monitoring) and easy to lose (financial trouble, drug test failure, undisclosed foreign travel).

Geography: where defense MEs work

Defense ME employment concentrates in seven metros: the DC Beltway (Northrop, GD, Booz Allen, Lockheed Bethesda), Boston-Andover (Raytheon, Draper, MIT Lincoln Lab), LA-El Segundo-Palmdale (Lockheed Skunk Works, Northrop Aeronautics, Raytheon, Boeing Defense), Denver-Aurora (Lockheed Waterton, Raytheon Aurora, Ball Aerospace, Northrop), Seattle (Boeing Defense), Huntsville Alabama (Redstone Arsenal, MDA, NASA Marshall), and Orlando (Lockheed Missiles and Fire Control). See the linked Colorado, Massachusetts, and Connecticut pages for state-level pay breakdowns.

Frequently asked questions

How much do mechanical engineers make in defense contracting?+

There is no single published answer, because BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics has no defence-contracting industry: the primes are classified by what they build. Across the three sectors their mechanical-engineering work actually falls under, the May 2025 medians are $112,900 for aerospace product and parts manufacturing (NAICS 336400, 12,060 MEs), $106,210 for navigational, measuring and control instruments (NAICS 334500, 10,800 MEs) and $100,280 for ship and boat building (NAICS 336600, 2,470 MEs). So a defence ME median sits somewhere around $100,280 to $112,900 depending on the programme, over roughly 25,330 engineers in total. Anyone quoting one exact defence-sector median is combining those cells, and medians cannot be combined.

What is the security clearance premium for defense MEs?+

Active secret clearance typically adds $5,000 to $8,000 over the unclearcred base for the same role. Top Secret adds $8,000 to $14,000. TS/SCI adds $12,000 to $18,000. TS/SCI with polygraph (full-scope) adds $18,000 to $30,000. The premiums reflect the small candidate pool, the time-and-cost barrier to clearance investigation (typically 6 to 18 months), and the limited mobility of cleared engineers between commercial and government markets.

Which defense prime pays mechanical engineers the most?+

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman lead at roughly $116,000 and $115,200 medians, driven by classified program premiums (F-35, B-21 Raider). Raytheon Technologies (RTX) follows at $113,500. General Dynamics, BAE Systems Inc, and L3Harris cluster between $107,000 and $110,000. Differences narrow at senior levels because the customer (the US DOD) caps profit margins on defense contracts.

Is defense ME a stable career?+

Yes, more so than commercial engineering. Defense contracts run on 5- to 30-year cycles (the F-35 program is now in its 25th year), and the major primes have not had layoffs comparable to Boeing's 787 or Tesla's 2022/2024 cycles. The trade-off is slower career velocity: promotion timelines are longer and total comp ceilings are lower than at FAANG hardware or growth-stage hardware startups. Sequester risk is real (2013 sequester froze hiring for 18 months) but rare.

Do I need a PE license to work in defense?+

No. PE licensure is not required for defense engineering and adds no compensation premium at the major primes. The work product is signed under DOD program-management authority, not under a state-licensed engineer's seal.

What is the entry-level mechanical engineer salary in defense?+

Entry-level mechanical engineers in defense (0 to 2 years experience) typically earn $68,000 to $84,000 base, with cleared positions adding $3,000 to $8,000 after year one. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman new-grad offers cluster around $74,000 to $86,000 base in major metros (Denver, Boston, DC, LA). The defense primes also offer strong relocation packages, sign-on bonuses for cleared candidates, and tuition reimbursement for MS programs.

All Industries

Parent hub: every industry's pay band, ranked.

Aerospace

$112,900 median, overlaps heavily with defense.

Lockheed Martin

Level-by-level pay bands at the largest defense prime.

Colorado

Front Range defense cluster: Lockheed Waterton, Ball, Raytheon Aurora.

Connecticut

Pratt and Whitney, Sikorsky, Electric Boat.

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