Like the Air Force, the US Navy pays its aviators a monetary bonus to encourage retention (though it doesn’t always work, as the Air Force acceptance rate showed).
This year, due to high retention levels, the Navy altered its bonus plan; as stated now, the only aviators who will get the previous years’ $25K bonus per year are F/A-18 Hornet pilots. All others will get a bonus specific to their airframe: Read more
The Air Force announced it would continue the “pilot bonus,” formally known as Aviator Continuation Pay (ACP), in 2011. The program gives a bonus to pilots and now UAV pilots for a commitment extending beyond their initial service requirement. For most pilots, this occurs 10 years after they graduate from pilot training.
As in past years, these aircrew can accept a $25,000 per year bonus for an additional commitment of five years. A second (lower) level is offered for those who did not take the bonus the first time they were eligible.
For the first time, Air Battle Managers and Combat System Operators (formerly known as WSOs or Navs) are not eligible, because their “career field has stabilized.”