The US Air Force's Most Expensive Bomber Will Be Flown By Pilots Earning Standard Military Pay

Published Sep 18, 2026, 4:00 AM EDT Aaron is an aviation enthusiast and world traveler with a deep interest in aerospace history and technology. He has traveled around the world numerous times, often incorporating visits to aviation museums and historic aircraft collections into his journeys. A native of New Zealand, he is an expert in aviation and maintains a broad interest in a variety of other subjects. All United States Air Force pilots are officers who receive the same basic pay for their rank and years of service. They also mostly receive the same bonuses and allowances, although there is one notable exception: the pilot Aviation Bonus, which is given out based on community. Unfortunately for bomber pilots, the bonus is being set at around $10,000 less than what their fighter counterparts can expect to receive in 2027. Still, an average retention bonus of $41,376 is more than most other communities. Pilots will not be getting any special pay to fly the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider as it enters service in 2027. In principle, they will be paid the same as B-52 pilots in total compensation and the same as an Army officer of the same rank and service in basic pay. With that being said, Raider pilots will likely be earning above average due to the fact that average senior pilots are expected to be assigned to the precious new bombers. How Air Force Pilots Are Paid Credit: United States Air Force Air Force pilots are all commissioned officers, and all officers across the United States Armed Forces of the equivalent rank and years of service receive the same pay. As such, a pilot with the rank of Captain (O-3) in the Air Force receives the same basic pay as a Captain in the US Army, Space Force, or Marines, as a Lieutenant (O-3) in the US Navy. A pilot flying an F-22 has the same basic pay as a Remote Pilot flying an MQ-9A Reaper drone of the same rank and years of service. The most common ranks to fly combat aircraft in combat are First Lieutenant (O-2), Captain (O-3), and Major (O-4). Higher ranks like Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) and Colonel (O-6) can also fly in combat, but this becomes less frequent. A significant amount of a pilot's total compensation comes from various bonuses and allowances. These include the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), Flight Pay, and Aviation Bonus. BAH can add $2,094 to $2,796 per month depending on dependents and location, BAS adds $328 a month, Flight Pay adds $150 to $1,000 a month depending on rank, and Retention Bonus adds up to $50,000 depending on community, rank, and qualifying years of service. Typical US Air Force Pilot Pay Credit: US Air Force Adjusting for a plausible number of years of service (Captains are never in their first year of service), the basic pay for US Air Force pilots starts at $49,802 in basic pay, rising to $80,672 in total compensation once BAH, BAS, Flight Pay, and some other payments are added. First Lieutenants have typically completed more than two years of creditable service and have basic pay starting at $65,354 and total compensation starting at $98,756. Captains typically complete around four years of service before promotion and have a basic pay of $88,592 in the first year and about $124,118 in total pay. Majors typically receive their rank after around ten years of service and have a starting basic pay of around $113,040. As Majors have completed ten or more years of service, they will typically qualify for the Aviation Retention Bonus, with fighter pilots getting total compensation of around $207,609. Lieutenant Colonels are high-ranking pilots and will normally have a starting pay of $128,581 and total compensation of $236,844. Colonels are a very high rank for pilots, and it is less common for them to fly combat missions, although it happens. For example, the F-15E pilot who was downed over Iran during Operation Epic Fury was a Colonel. These will typically have a starting pay of around $157,385 and a total compensation of around $236,844. Total compensation is listed as less than that of Lieutenant Colonels because they don't qualify for the Aviation Retention Bonus. The Aviation Retention Bonus For Bombers Credit: US Air Force Pilots are not paid more based on the aircraft type they fly. So there is no distinction between a pilot of the same rank and years of service flying a B-52 and a B-21. However, the Aviation Bonus program does pay differently based on the community that the pilot belongs to. The Air Force divides pilots into communities that include fighters, bombers, mobility (transport), rescue, remotely operated aircraft, and others. It says the Aviation Bonus "remains a flexible and cost-effective tool to shape the aviation community." Fiscal 2027 budget documents say that: "This new program has been integrated into the existing aviation bonus program and is tiered to incentivize aviators to enter into bonus contracts earlier and for longer service commitments. (...) The addition of this new program significantly increases the number of eligible aviators as it provides eligibility for three year groups of aviators versus one." Fiscal 2027 Aviation Bonus (per budget documents) Number of qualifying pilots Average bonus per pilot Fighter community 559 $50,907 Bomber community 157 $41,376 Mobility community 887 $32,895 Rated Officer Demonstration Program 1,356 $54,570 Remotely Operated Aircraft community 1,414 $28,603 The community expected to receive the largest Aviation Bonus in 2027 is the Rated Officer Retention Demonstration Program at $54,570, followed by fighter jet pilots at an average rate of $50,907. Third is the bomber community with an average bonus of $41,376. The mobility community gets $32,895, with most other communities falling between $28,000 and $34,000 in retention bonuses. Some Equipment Has Senior Pilots Credit: US Air Force There is one way that pilots flying certain types of equipment do earn more than pilots flying other aircraft. This is when the most senior pilots are assigned to that equipment. So the pilots are not paid based on the aircraft per se, but on their high rank and years of service. US Air Force pilots assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing (the wing that operates Air Force One and other VIP jets) are typically experienced Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels with many years of service. As such, these pilots will typically have a total compensation of around $225,000 to a little over $240,000, while fighter pilots, will typically be paid in the $100,000 to $210,000 range. Interestingly, this means that the senior pilots flying Air Force One jets will have around half the pay of the senior Captains flying widebody airliners for legacy airlines like Delta Air Lines. When it comes to bombers, it is a little complicated by the fact that they can have between two and five crew members. It is common for the pilots to be, on average, a higher rank than fighter pilots. This means that bomber pilots may be paid a little more than fighter pilots just because of the rank. The Typical Ranks Of Bomber Pilots Credit: US Air Force Whereas the bulk of fighter jets are flown by First Lieutenants and Captains, most bombers are flown by Captains and Majors. The B-52H Stratofortress has a five-person crew that includes two pilots (an aircraft commander and a co-pilot), a radar navigator, a navigator, and an electronic warfare officer. Aircraft commanders lead the crew and fly the jet from the left seat on the upper deck, while the co-pilot sits beside the commander. The co-pilot is often a newly qualified pilot, including a First Lieutenant or younger Captain. Meanwhile, the commander is often an experienced Captain or a Major. The B-1B Lancer has a crew of four, and these tend to skew slightly more senior because of the demanding conventional strike mission. Its crew is made up of the aircraft commander, co-pilot, an offensive systems officer, and a defensive systems officer. The co-pilot is typically a Captain, while the commander is typically a Major. The B-2 Spirit has a crew of two: the pilot and co-pilot. This is the most selective bomber assignment, and the pilots are typically more experienced. It is common to see a co-pilot with the rank of Captain while the lead pilot is often a Major or Lieutenant Colonel. The Rank & Pay Of B-21 Raider Pilots Credit: US Air Force The B-21 Raider is expected to enter service in 2027, and it is reasonable to assume that it will be flown by senior pilots, at least initially. They will likely be flown by pilots with a similar rank and experience as the B-2 Spirits. The Raider is a two-crew aircraft, and there have been discussions that it might only require a single pilot due to its advanced automation. However, the Air Force has recently said it will put two pilots in the cockpit, at least initially. Assuming the co-pilot has the rank of Captain, has nine years of service, and doesn't qualify for the Aviation Bonus, then total compensation will likely be around $143,968 a year. Assuming the pilot does qualify for the bonus and has completed ten years of service, then the total compensation is likely to be around $202,900 a year. It may be uncommon for Captains to receive the bonus, as around the time they qualify is around the time they are often promoted to Major. The aircraft commander with a newly minted rank of Major is likely to earn $197,000, while a newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel should earn more than $225,000. The amount these pilots earn increases with years of service. These numbers assume the commander will qualify for the $41,376 annual Aviation Retention bonus.