Aerospace Engineers
Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.
67,710 people do this job in the US. $134,960 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 60%
- 18%
- 23%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 5%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 14 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnose performance problems by reviewing reports or documentation from customers or field engineers or by inspecting malfunctioning or damaged products.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 11% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 2.5 work days | 10%Half by May 2027 | |
| Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 11% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work days | 0%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 11% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | 1%Half by Jul 2028 | |
| Direct aerospace research and development programs.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 11% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Analyze project requests, proposals, or engineering data to determine feasibility, productibility, cost, or production time of aerospace or aeronautical products.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 3.3 h50 min to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 38%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Plan or coordinate investigation and resolution of customers' reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 8%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Develop design criteria for aeronautical or aerospace products or systems, including testing methods, production costs, quality standards, environmental standards, or completion dates.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 work days4.2 h to 4.2 work days | 1%Half by Jan 2028 | |
| Maintain records of performance reports for future reference.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 1.0% | 50 min13 min to 2.5 h | 79%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians4% now, 17% by 2028
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians10% now, 25% by 2028
- Avionics Technicians6% now, 15% by 2028
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians16% now, 49% by 2028
- Mechanical Engineers7% now, 56% by 2028
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians7% now, 8% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).