Naval Aircrewman—Helicopter (AWS): Navy Reserve (2025)

Ted Kingston•March 4, 2025

This guide provides helpful information for those considering to enlist in the Navy Reserve as a Naval Aircrewman—Helicopter (AWS) during Fiscal Year 2025.

There’s no autopilot in this job. No room for passive participants, no place for the timid. As a Naval Aircrewman—Helicopter (AWS) in the Navy Reserve, you are not a passenger—you are the mission.

One day, you’re scanning the ocean with high-powered sensors, tracking a submarine that doesn’t want to be found.

The next, you’re leaning out of an MH-60 Seahawk, gripping a hoist cable, pulling a downed pilot out of the water before the sea swallows them whole.

In a world where most people will never experience a single moment of true consequence, your job is consequence incarnate.

It’s an unforgiving, high-stakes role where your skill, your nerve, and your ability to adapt in real-time determine if a mission succeeds—or fails spectacularly.

If that doesn’t make your pulse quicken, stop reading. This isn’t for you.

If it does, welcome to AWS. Keep going.

Naval Aircrewman Helicopter (AWS) Navy Reserve - Image1

Job Role and Responsibilities

Job Description

You are the lifeline between order and catastrophe. As a Naval Aircrewman Helicopter (AWS) in the Navy Reserve, you don’t just fly—you operate. You hunt submarines, man heavy weapons, execute combat search and rescue, and transport mission-critical personnel into places where failure is not an option.

Every mission is dynamic, unpredictable. The ocean is indifferent, the enemy is waiting, and the only thing standing between mission success and disaster is you.

You’re not pressing buttons in an office. You’re managing sensors, feeding intelligence to pilots, and—when the situation demands it—pulling the trigger.

This is not a supporting role. This is the role that determines who comes home and who doesn’t.

Daily Tasks

Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW): Operating sonar and dipping sensors to track silent threats beneath the waves.
Search and Rescue (SAR): Locating and extracting personnel from hostile or extreme environments.
Combat Support: Manning crew-served weapons (M240, GAU-21) to engage threats from the air.
Medical Evacuations (CASEVAC): Pulling injured personnel out of combat zones when seconds matter.
Cargo and Personnel Transport: Securing high-value assets and delivering them under pressure.
Aerial Gunnery: Providing suppressive fire in hostile environments.
Flight Operations: Conducting pre-flight and post-flight checks to ensure aircraft readiness.

If you want predictable, look elsewhere. AWS is reactive, violent, and surgical—all in the same mission.

Mission Contribution

Everything you do tilts the balance between success and failure. You see what no one else sees, reach places no one else can reach, and bring people home who otherwise wouldn’t make it.

The Navy’s aviation operations don’t work without AWS. Simple as that.

ASW keeps carrier strike groups alive. Submarines are the apex predators of naval warfare, and your sensors are the only thing standing between them and an ambush.
SAR is the difference between life and death. When pilots eject over the ocean, when ships go down in storms, when civilians need rescue—AWS makes the save.
Aerial firepower keeps enemy forces in check. You’re not just a sensor operator—you’re a weapons system that eliminates threats before they can strike.

This isn’t clocking in for a paycheck. This is tilting the odds in your favor when lives are at stake.

Technology and Equipment

You’re not working with outdated hardware. AWS is on the edge of military aviation tech, and every mission puts you in direct contact with gear that makes the impossible happen.

MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters – Your mobile command center.
Dipping Sonar & Radar Systems – Eyes under the water where no one else can see.
Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) Cameras – Thermal imaging for tracking threats in any environment.
M240 & GAU-21 Heavy Machine Guns – When “observe and report” is no longer an option.
Hoists & Rescue Gear – Because survival depends on how fast you can get someone out of danger.

If you don’t master your equipment, your equipment will master you. The tech is there, but it’s only as effective as the person operating it.

Work Environment

Setting and Schedule

Forget routine. AWS doesn’t do routine. One drill weekend might be a full-motion flight simulator running worst-case scenarios at a Naval Air Station.

The next—You’re harnessed into a helicopter, hovering over the ocean, running live hoist extractions. The training: Brutal. The tempo: Relentless. The margin for error: Zero.

Primary work locations: Naval air stations, aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and deployed land bases.
Drill schedule: Standard Navy Reserve—one weekend per month, two weeks per year. But when activated? Expect full-scale real-world operations anywhere in the world.
Deployment tempo: While not as frequent as active-duty counterparts, mobilizations can happen depending on mission requirements. The sea doesn’t wait, and neither does the mission.

Some reserve jobs mean checking in for paperwork. AWS means standing by for the call that says, “We need you. Now.”

Leadership and Communication

This isn’t a democracy. The chain of command is absolute, and when a mission starts, there is no time for debate. Your job is to execute orders, relay critical intelligence, and make the call when no one else can.

You report to: Pilots, flight officers, and senior aircrew.
Your team: A close-knit unit of highly trained aircrew who depend on your expertise as much as you depend on theirs.
Communication is everything. A single misheard command can mean a failed mission or worse. Precision in radio calls, hand signals, and tactical execution is non-negotiable.

Performance feedback isn’t sugarcoated. If you mess up, you’ll know. If you perform flawlessly, no one will say a word—because perfection is the baseline expectation.

Team Dynamics and Autonomy

AWS is both a team sport and an individual test of nerve. There is no room for passengers. If you don’t pull your weight, someone else is compensating for your failure, and that’s unacceptable.

When it’s time for teamwork: Everyone is synchronized—one crew, one unit, one mission. Whether it’s combat search and rescue or anti-submarine warfare, a single weak link can compromise the entire operation.
When it’s time for individual action: No one is looking over your shoulder. You are expected to make split-second calls—whether that means engaging a threat, fixing an in-flight malfunction, or pulling someone out of the water in brutal conditions.

There are no participation trophies here. If you can’t handle responsibility, AWS will break you.

Job Satisfaction and Retention

People don’t do this for the money. They do it because it’s one of the few jobs where skill actually matters.

Retention rates: Higher than average for Navy Reserve aviation roles—once you’ve earned this level of expertise, you don’t walk away from it easily.
Job satisfaction: Sky-high for those who thrive under pressure, but this job isn’t for everyone. The attrition rate in training alone filters out those who aren’t cut for it.
Success is measured by: Mission execution. If you can’t perform, you’re gone. If you can: You’re one of the most valuable assets in naval aviation.

Training and Skill Development

navy-aws-insignia — *AWS Insignia – Credit: U.S. Navy*

Initial Training

AWS doesn’t take volunteers. It takes candidates—and most of them don’t make it. The pipeline is designed to break the uncommitted and forge the ones who refuse to quit. You either adapt, overcome, and execute or you get left behind.

Here’s what stands between you and those coveted Naval Aircrew wings:

Recruit Training (Boot Camp) – nine weeks at Great Lakes, IL. This is the Navy’s filter. They strip away the civilian mindset, install discipline, and test your ability to follow orders under stress.
Naval Aircrew Candidate School (NACCS) – Five weeks in Pensacola, FL. This is where the real weeding-out happens. Intense water survival, high-risk aviation physiology, and brutal physical fitness standards. Can’t keep up? You’re gone.
AWS “A” School – 14 weeks in Pensacola, FL. Tactical training begins here. Sonar operations, rescue techniques, aircraft systems, aerial gunnery. You learn the theory, but the real proving ground is yet to come.
Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) Training – Training length varies by airframe. This is where you get assigned to an MH-60 Seahawk squadron and learn to operate in a real-world mission environment.

This is not a training pipeline. This is an elimination process. If you make it through, you haven’t just passed a course—you’ve survived the most demanding aviation training the Navy Reserve offers.

Advanced Training

Initial training just gives you the foundation. Mastery is earned through operational deployments, relentless drills, and high-risk exercises. The best aircrew never stop learning.

Advanced ASW Training – Master the art of submarine hunting. Sound propagation, tactical buoy patterns, real-world sub-tracking scenarios.
Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) – Learn to pull people out of hostile territory. Fast-rope insertion, night-vision operations, evasion tactics.
Aerial Gunnery Certification – Precision shooting from a moving helicopter. GAU-21 and M240 machine guns, suppressive fire tactics, engagement drills.
Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) School – If you go down behind enemy lines, you will not be helpless. Survival in extreme conditions, resistance to interrogation, escape techniques.
Instructor and Leadership Qualifications – Senior AWS personnel are expected to train the next generation. If you’re good enough, you become the teacher.

AWS never stops evolving, and neither do the people who wear the wings. If you aren’t learning, adapting, and improving, you are becoming obsolete. And in this job: Obsolete means dead weight.

Physical Demands and Medical Evaluations

Physical Requirements

AWS isn’t for the soft. It’s for those who thrive in extremes, function under stress, and push past breaking points—because in this job, your body isn’t just carrying you. It’s carrying the mission.

If you can’t handle the physical punishment, you don’t belong here. Simple.

Here’s what you’re up against:

Minimum Physical Standards (Baseline Entry Requirements)

These are the bare minimums. If you’re hitting these numbers and thinking you’re good? You’re not. You need to dominate, not survive.

Test	Minimum Standard
Swim (1 Mile)	Under 80 minutes
500-Yard Swim	Under 12 minutes
Push-ups (2 min)	42
Sit-ups (2 min)	50
Pull-ups	6
1.5-Mile Run	Under 12:00

Real-World Expectations

Treading water for extended periods—with gear.
Swimming under stress—open water, full combat load, high seas.
Hoisting people into helicopters—fatigue is not an excuse.
Carrying heavy equipment—because no one’s carrying it for you.

If you think this is just another fitness test, you’ve already failed. The ocean doesn’t care how tired you are—and neither does the Navy.

Medical Evaluations

AWS demands more than just strength. It demands endurance, lung capacity, and the ability to handle extreme forces inside a moving aircraft. You’ll be medically screened harder than standard Navy recruits because if something goes wrong at altitude, you can’t just walk away.

Class II Flight Physical (Mandatory)

Perfect or correctable vision (20/20 near, 20/100 distant). If your eyesight is weak, you’re a liability.
No history of motion sickness. If you get sick on a roller coaster, you’re done before you start.
Normal inner ear function. Balance and equilibrium are non-negotiable when you’re moving at 140 knots over open water.
High lung capacity. You will be operating in hypoxic conditions.
No history of asthma past age 13. Aviation doesn’t tolerate weak lungs.

Ongoing Evaluations

Annual flight physicals. If you degrade, you’re gone.
Hearing tests. Constant rotor noise takes a toll—if your hearing drops too much, you’re pulled.
Swim qualifications. You don’t just pass once and forget it—you keep proving it, year after year.

AWS isn’t interested in what you did once. It’s interested in what you can do every single day.

Deployment and Duty Stations

Deployment Details

Forget the idea that “Reserve” means you won’t deploy. It means you’re part-time until you’re full-time, and when you get activated, you don’t ease into it—you go from civilian life to full-fledged warfighter overnight.

AWS Reservists get called up based on operational needs. If the fleet needs more aircrew, if there’s a crisis requiring combat search and rescue (CSAR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), or emergency response, you’re going.

How Often Do AWS Reservists Deploy?

In a low-tempo period? Maybe once every few years.
In high-demand operations? It could be sooner than you think.
Length of deployments? Anywhere from 6 to 12 months, sometimes longer.

You’re a force multiplier—a specialist in a niche skill set the Navy can’t afford to go without. When the call comes, it’s not a request.

What Kind of Deployments?

Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) – Supporting global fleet operations.
Amphibious Readiness Groups (ARGs) – Tactical air support for Marine and Navy ground forces.
Overseas Stations – Japan, Europe, the Middle East—wherever a U.S. presence is required.
Humanitarian & Disaster Response – When entire cities are underwater, AWS crews are the first in.
Combat Zones – If tensions rise, aircrew don’t sit back—they go where the mission dictates.

A Reserve job that never deploys is a job that doesn’t matter. AWS matters.

Location Flexibility

You can request duty stations, but ultimately? The Navy decides. You go where you’re needed, not where it’s convenient.

Primary Reserve Duty Stations for AWS

NAS Jacksonville (Florida) – Major hub for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training and operations.
NAS North Island (California) – The West Coast’s aircrew warfare nerve center.
NAS Whidbey Island (Washington) – Strategic operations in the Pacific.
NAS Norfolk (Virginia) – East Coast powerhouse for carrier-based aviation support.
NAS Patuxent River (Maryland) – Test and evaluation for cutting-edge aviation tech.

Want to be near home? Not a guarantee. Want to be where the action is? You will be.

Can You Request a Specific Location?

Yes, but requests are exactly that—requests. You can have a preference, but if operational needs dictate otherwise, you pack your bags.

What About Deploying Overseas?

You’re in naval aviation. The Navy is global. The moment you think “Reserve” means “I stay in one place,” you’re in the wrong job.

Career Progression and Advancement

Career Path

AWS isn’t just a job—it’s a high-stakes proving ground where your competence determines how far you go. The system is simple: perform or get left behind.

Your career isn’t built on seniority. It’s built on technical expertise, flight hours, and combat readiness. If you want to advance, you have to prove—repeatedly—that you’re more capable than the guy next to you.

Here’s how the rank progression typically unfolds:

Rank	Title	Role & Responsibilities	Time to Advance
E-1 to E-3	Aircrewman Candidate	Basic training, survival qualification, flight indoctrination.	12-24 months
E-4 (AWS3)	Aircrewman Helicopter	Qualified aircrew, operates sonar, weapons, and hoist systems.	2-4 years
E-5 (AWS2)	Senior Aircrewman	More responsibility, supervises junior aircrew, leads mission execution.	4-7 years
E-6 (AWS1)	Aircrewman Leader	Instructor qualifications, mission planning, advanced tactical roles.	6-10 years
E-7+ (Chief AWS)	Chief Aircrewman	Leadership, aircrew program manager, tactical unit supervisor.	10+ years

If you think time-in-service guarantees promotion, you’re in the wrong career field. AWS is pure meritocracy. The best move up. The average stay put. The weak get out.

Opportunities for Promotion and Growth

Want to move up? You need certifications, combat readiness, and leadership ability—not just rank.

Naval Aircrew Instructor – Teaching the next generation of AWS candidates. Only the most skilled make it.
Advanced Tactical Instructor (ATI) – Master-level training in ASW, combat search and rescue, and gunnery.
Flight Operations Supervisor – Directing aircrew and overseeing mission execution.
Naval Aircrewman Chief (E-7 and above) – Leading entire aircrew divisions and setting the tactical standard.

Your career moves at the speed of your capability. No one is handing out promotions here.

Role Flexibility and Transfers

Want to pivot to another job? Possible, but not easy. The Navy invests too much in AWS training to let people jump ship casually. But if you’re exceptionally skilled, you can transition to:

Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) – If you want small boats and big firepower.
Naval Aviation Officer Programs – If you’re ready to command from the cockpit instead of the backseat.
Rescue Swimmer (AIRR) – If pulling people out of the ocean in the worst conditions possible sounds like fun.
Federal Aviation & Law Enforcement Careers – If civilian agencies want a high-stakes aviation specialist.

AWS doesn’t lock you in—it sets you up for elite-level careers, both in and out of uniform.

Performance Evaluation

Every AWS knows one thing: Evaluations aren’t just paperwork. They decide your future.

Flight Performance – Tactical execution, sonar accuracy, gunnery precision.
Mission Readiness – Ability to deploy at a moment’s notice, mental and physical fitness.
Leadership & Instruction – Ability to train others, take command under pressure.
Technical Expertise – Mastery of aviation systems, sensors, and survival gear.

Fall short—Your career stalls. Excel—You fast-track. Simple system. No excuses.

Compensation, Benefits, and Lifestyle

Financial Benefits

You don’t join AWS for the paycheck. But if you think the Navy doesn’t take care of its aircrew, you haven’t done the math. You’re being paid to fly, operate advanced tech, and execute high-risk missions. That comes with compensation—and it stacks fast.

Drill Pay (One Weekend per Month)

Rank	Monthly Drill Pay	Annual Training Pay (2 Weeks Active Duty)
E-3	$274	$2,192
E-4	$319	$2,552
E-5	$385	$3,080
E-6	$420	$3,360
E-7	$575	$4,600

Deployment and Activation Pay

When activated for full-time service, AWS personnel receive:

Base Pay – Standard active-duty rates.
Flight Pay (Aviation Incentive Pay) – Up to $400/month for aircrew.
Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay – Extra cash for high-risk operations.
Per Diem & Deployment Bonuses – If you’re away from home, you’re getting paid for it.

AWS in the Reserve isn’t just a weekend warrior gig—it can become full-time military earnings when activated.

Additional Benefits

Being in AWS means you get elite-level perks that most civilians pay thousands for.

Healthcare (TRICARE Reserve Select)

Affordable health coverage for you and your family.
Full medical, dental, and vision coverage for activated members.

Education (Tuition Assistance & GI Bill)

Tuition Assistance: Pays up to 100% of tuition costs while you serve.
Post-9/11 GI Bill: Covers full tuition, housing, and expenses if you qualify.
Navy COOL Program: Pays for certifications that translate directly to high-paying civilian jobs.

Retirement & Pension

20 qualifying years = military pension.
401(k)-style TSP (Thrift Savings Plan) with government matching.
AWS veterans transition into federal jobs, law enforcement, and private aviation with priority hiring.

Work-Life Balance

AWS doesn’t operate on a 9-to-5 schedule. When you’re in, you’re all in. But in the Reserve, you get the best of both worlds—military experience and a civilian career.

Weekend Drills: One weekend per month.
Annual Training: Two weeks per year—could be in a simulator, a flight deck, or deployed somewhere unexpected.
Deployments: Not constant, but when they happen, they’re real.

If you want predictable: Get a desk job.
If you want balance but refuse to live an ordinary life? AWS Reserve is exactly that.

Risk, Safety, and Legal Considerations

Job Hazards

AWS isn’t a desk job. It’s a job where mistakes kill people. You’re working with high-speed aircraft, live weapons, open ocean extractions, and environments where failure isn’t just costly—it’s fatal.

Here’s what you’re up against:

Helicopter crashes – Aircraft go down. Whether due to combat, mechanical failure, or weather, AWS personnel are expected to survive, adapt, and rescue others in the worst-case scenario.
Combat risk – If your helo is in a combat zone, you’re a target. You’re flying low, slow, and exposed.
Heavy weapons & explosives – One wrong move with a GAU-21, and someone loses more than just hearing.
Drowning risk – Open water ops are unforgiving. If you can’t swim, you’re dead. If you panic, you’re dead. If your extraction takes too long, you’re dead.
Extreme fatigue – Long hours in a vibrating aircraft, night operations, high-G maneuvers. If you’re weak, exhaustion will crush you.
Hypoxia & altitude sickness – Operating at high altitudes in a helicopter depletes oxygen levels—if you can’t function under stress in that state, you don’t belong here.

AWS isn’t about eliminating danger. It’s about mastering it.

Safety Protocols

The only reason AWS crews survive this level of risk is because safety isn’t a checklist—it’s a mindset. Training beats luck, and preparation is the difference between coming back or not.

Emergency extraction drills – You train like you crash so you can survive when you do.
Dunker Training (HEEDS & SWET) – You will be strapped into a mock helicopter, flipped upside down, and forced to escape—because that’s what happens in a real crash.
Combat casualty care – If someone gets hit, you are the medic until they get to a real one.
Weapon & system redundancies – Every AWS knows exactly what happens if an engine flames out or a weapon malfunctions. Zero surprises.
Flight hour limits – The body can only take so much. AWS operates at the edge of human endurance, but the Navy doesn’t let pilots or aircrew cross into dangerous fatigue levels.

You don’t trust luck. You trust training—because training is what saves lives.

Security and Legal Requirements

AWS operates in classified mission sets. If you want to wear these wings, you need a SECRET security clearance—and that comes with heavy legal responsibility.

Clearance Process:

Extensive background check – Financial history, criminal records, foreign contacts—all of it gets investigated.
No drug history – If you can’t stay clean, you can’t be trusted with classified ops.
Ongoing evaluations – A clearance isn’t “one and done.” If you show signs of being a liability, it gets revoked.

Legal & Contractual Obligations

Commitment to Service: AWS contracts vary, but you sign up to be deployed when needed.
Operational Security (OPSEC): If you talk about classified tactics, mission data, or aircraft vulnerabilities, you’re done—and possibly facing prison.
Combat Zone Obligations: If the Navy needs you in a combat zone, you don’t get to say no.

Handling Deployments in Conflict Zones & Emergencies

AWS doesn’t operate in safe places. If you’re mobilized, you could be:

Escorting Special Forces teams into hostile territory.
Evacuating wounded personnel under fire.
Tracking enemy submarines near contested waters.

Emergencies don’t come with warnings. If the Navy calls, you grab your gear, kiss your family goodbye, and go handle business.

Impact on Family and Personal Life

Family Considerations

AWS doesn’t just test you—it tests your family. This job is high-risk, high-commitment, and high-stakes. If you think you can just clock out and switch to “civilian mode,” you’re lying to yourself.

Here’s what your family needs to understand:

You will be gone. Whether it’s drill weekends, extended training, or an unexpected activation, there will be empty chairs at the dinner table.
Stress isn’t just yours to carry. If you deploy, your spouse, kids, or parents are left managing life without you.
Risk is real. AWS is not a safe job. Your family lives with the knowledge that one mission could go wrong, and you might not come back.
You will miss major life events. Birthdays, anniversaries, school plays—if the Navy says go, you go.

This job forces you to have hard conversations before you ever step into a helicopter. If you’re not ready for that, neither is your family.

Support Systems for Families

The Navy doesn’t leave your family out in the cold. They know the strain this puts on spouses and kids. That’s why AWS families get access to:

Family Readiness Groups (FRGs) – Community support for spouses and dependents.
TRICARE Reserve Select – Affordable healthcare for family members, even when you’re not activated.
Deployment Support Services – Counseling, financial planning, and stress management resources.
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society – Emergency financial aid if things get tight while you’re gone.
Childcare Assistance – Reduced-cost childcare on base or through approved civilian providers.

These programs won’t replace you, but they will help your family survive the grind of AWS life.

Relocation and Flexibility

Unlike active duty, Reservists don’t PCS every few years—but that doesn’t mean you’re stationary.

Drill weekends can require travel. Your squadron won’t always be next door.
Mobilizations can uproot your life instantly. One day you’re working your civilian job, the next you’re on a flight overseas.
Geographic flexibility helps your career. The more locations you’re willing to drill at, the better your advancement options.

AWS Reserve lets you build a civilian career alongside your military one—but if you need 100% stability, this is the wrong job.

Post-Service Opportunities

Transition to Civilian Life

AWS isn’t just a military job—it’s a pipeline to high-value civilian careers. The skills you develop in naval aviation translate directly into industries where expertise matters, and employers know AWS graduates aren’t average.

You don’t just leave with experience—you leave with a reputation for precision, discipline, and adaptability under extreme pressure. That puts you ahead in law enforcement, aviation, emergency response, and defense contracting.

Civilian Careers that Value AWS Skills

Industry	Potential Jobs	How AWS Skills Apply
Aviation	Commercial Pilot, Air Traffic Control, Aviation Safety Inspector	Flight operations, crew coordination, emergency procedures
Law Enforcement	SWAT Officer, Federal Agent (FBI, DEA, ATF), Border Patrol	Tactical operations, weapons handling, high-pressure decision-making
Emergency Services	Search & Rescue Operator, Firefighter, EMT/Paramedic	Medical training, crisis response, physical endurance
Defense & Private Security	Defense Contractor, Security Consultant, Private Military Contractor	Combat tactics, surveillance, operational planning
Maritime Industry	Offshore Security, Merchant Marine, Maritime Surveillance	Naval operations, search and rescue, navigation

AWS isn’t just about flying in helicopters. It’s about making critical decisions when seconds matter—a skill every high-stakes industry needs.

Programs to Help You Transition

The Navy doesn’t just cut you loose when you leave. If you use the system right, you walk out with certifications, connections, and a direct line to high-paying jobs.

SkillBridge – Work with private-sector employers while still in uniform, so you have a job waiting when you transition.
Navy COOL (Credentialing Opportunities On-Line) – Pays for professional certifications that align with AWS skills. Examples:
- FAA certifications for aviation careers
- EMT/Paramedic credentials
- Security and law enforcement certifications
Post-9/11 GI Bill – Full tuition coverage for college, plus housing allowance. Want to become an engineer, paramedic, or business leader? This pays for it.
VA Home Loan – Zero down payment for a house, even with no civilian credit history.

AWS doesn’t just give you a military career—it sets you up for a civilian one. The ones who maximize their benefits leave with multiple job offers and a paid-for degree. The ones who don’t? That’s on them.

Separation, Discharge, and Reenlistment

When your contract is up, you have three choices:

Reenlist – Stay in AWS, earn higher pay, take on leadership roles.
Transition to another Navy role – Some aircrew pivot to officer programs, other aviation specialties, or even Special Warfare.
Discharge & Enter Civilian Life – If you’ve planned ahead, you leave with a career, not just a DD-214.

How smooth your transition is depends entirely on how well you prepared before getting out. The Navy provides the tools—it’s on you to use them.

Qualifications, Requirements, and Application Process

Basic Qualifications

AWS doesn’t take just anyone. You don’t stumble into this job—you earn it. Before you even think about applying, you need to meet the baseline standards.

Eligibility Requirements

U.S. Citizen – No exceptions. You’re dealing with classified missions.
Age: 17-39 (waivers possible, but rare).
Education: High school diploma or GED. No degree required, but you need intelligence and adaptability—this is a thinking man’s job.
Security Clearance: SECRET or higher. If you have serious financial issues, a criminal record, or foreign ties, good luck getting approved.

ASVAB Score Requirements

AWS isn’t about brute strength—it’s about technical and tactical awareness. You need solid scores in multiple areas:

ASVAB Composite	Minimum Score
VE+AR+MK+MC	210

If you barely scrape by on ASVAB, you’ll struggle in training. The best AWS candidates have well above the minimum.

Physical & Medical Standards

Swim Qualifications: If water makes you uncomfortable, find another job. You’ll be treading water, swimming long distances, and escaping from submerged aircraft.
Class II Flight Physical: Eyes, ears, lungs—everything needs to be in peak shape.
No history of asthma (past age 13). If you can’t handle hypoxic conditions, you’re a liability.

Application Process

AWS isn’t something you just “sign up” for. You compete for it.

Step-by-Step Application Guide

Meet with a Navy Recruiter – Be upfront about wanting AWS. If you don’t specifically request it, you could get thrown into another rate.
Take the ASVAB – Score high, or forget it. Low scores limit your options.
Pass MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) – Full medical screening. If you fail here, you’re done before you start.
Aircrew Candidate Contract (AC Contract) – If you qualify, you sign an aircrew-specific contract—you’re not going in blind.
Attend Boot Camp (Great Lakes, IL) – Nine weeks of physical and mental stress.
Naval Aircrew Candidate School (NACCS, Pensacola, FL) – Where most wash out. If you pass, you earn the right to train for AWS.
AWS “A” School & Flight Training – The real work begins.

This pipeline is built to filter out the weak. If you want AWS, you better show up ready to dominate.

Selection Criteria & Competitiveness

AWS isn’t an open-door job. It’s selective, and it’s competitive.

What Makes a Strong Candidate?

High ASVAB Scores – If you barely meet the minimum, expect to struggle.
Above-Average Fitness – Being “in shape” isn’t enough. You need combat-ready endurance.
Strong Swimming Ability – You don’t just need to swim—you need to swim under stress, in gear, in extreme conditions.
Mental Toughness – AWS training is brutal. The ones who make it aren’t always the fastest or strongest—they’re the ones who refuse to quit.

Is This a Good Job for You? The Right (and Wrong) Fit

Ideal Candidate Profile

AWS isn’t a job for the undecided, the hesitant, or the easily overwhelmed. If you need constant supervision, if you break down under stress, or if you like predictability—walk away now.

You’re Built for This Job If You:

Thrive in chaos. Helicopters are noisy, unstable, and unpredictable. So is combat. If you can’t operate under stress, you’re a liability.
Love problem-solving under pressure. AWS isn’t just brawn—it’s technical skill and tactical intelligence.
Are physically relentless. Swimming miles in rough seas, running on fumes, and carrying heavy gear is standard. If that sounds miserable, you won’t last.
Have an independent mind but follow orders. You’ll be expected to make life-or-death calls but also execute without hesitation when given an order.
Don’t need external validation. You won’t get a “good job” every time you succeed. You’ll just get more responsibility.

AWS is for high-stakes professionals who don’t flinch when things go sideways. If that’s not you, find another rate.

Potential Challenges

This job will test every weakness you have. If you’re not brutally honest with yourself, AWS will be.

This Job Will Break You If:

You’re afraid of heights, deep water, or confined spaces. You’ll be flying, swimming, and escaping from tight spots—all while under stress.
You need stability and routine. AWS life is controlled chaos. You train hard, deploy unpredictably, and sleep when you can.
You expect constant praise. If you need a pat on the back for doing your job, you won’t survive here.
You struggle with physical exhaustion. AWS will drain you. If you can’t function at 100 percent while running on fumes, you’re done.
You panic under pressure. AWS is about making the right call when everything is going wrong. If that paralyzes you, this job is a bad idea.

Career and Lifestyle Alignment

AWS isn’t just a job—it’s a lifestyle. It seeps into everything you do.

Long-Term Career: If you’re looking for a stepping stone to aviation, law enforcement, or emergency response, this is one of the best launchpads out there.
Work-Life Balance: You’ll get more balance than active duty, but this job will demand a lot from you. Expect to disappear for weeks or months when activated.
Mental and Physical Toll: AWS pushes you beyond your limits. The ones who thrive? They wouldn’t have it any other way.

If AWS is right for you, you already know it. If it isn’t, you’ll realize it sooner or later.

More Information

If you wish to learn more about becoming an Naval Aircrewman Helicopter (AWS) in the Navy Reserve, contact your local Navy Enlisted Recruiter. They will provide you with more detailed information you’re unlikely to find online.

You may also be interested in the following related Navy Reserve Enlisted jobs: