What Does a Military Weapons Engineer Do?

I've been thinking about military engineering as a career path. Can anyone shed light on the job duties of a military weapons engineer? What kind of projects do they usually work on and what's the day-to-day like?

As a military weapons engineer, you'd have a crucial role in the defense sector. Essentially, your primary responsibility is to design, maintain, and improve weaponry for military use. This work aids in increasing combat readiness and effectiveness, the safety of military personnel, and the advancement of defense technology. One common misconception is that this career primarily involves the creation of new weapons, but it actually involves a wide variety of tasks.

You could be tasked with designing more effective firearms, creating state-of-the-art missile systems, or improving the technology behind drones. More advanced work might even include working on military robotics or development in areas like lasers and directed-energy weapons. Sometimes, you might also be requested to retrofit existing weapons systems with new technologies or features to enhance their performance.

Day-to-day responsibilities can vary widely based on the specific project or role you're engaged in at the time. One day you could be busy drafting blueprints and designs for a new weapon system, another day might involve running prototype tests and simulations. You might also spend time assessing the performance of existing weapons systems, troubleshooting issues, or maintaining and inspecting military equipment.

The role also typically involves significant collaboration, as you'd often work in multidisciplinary teams of engineers, researchers, and military personnel. You'd need to coordinate with these teams to understand the specific strategic requirements of the weapons you work with, and also to ensure that complex projects are successfully carried out.

Finally, a significant part of the role is dedicated to documentation and compliance with regulations, safety procedures, and military standards, since the weapons you're dealing with have significantly high stakes in terms of their use and potential misuse.