Weapons Director Badge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Weapons Director Badge is a military badge of the United States Air Force which is issued to personnel who are qualified in command and control and have been specially trained as flight controllers with weapons release authority.

The standard Weapons Director Badge is issued upon completion of basic weapons director or air battle manager command and control training. Upgrades to Senior Weapons Director and Master Weapons Director occur based on years of service in the Air Force. The Senior Weapons Director Badge is annotated by a star above the decoration and the Master Badge displays a star and wreath.

Most personnel, who receive the Weapons Director Badge, are assigned to Ground Theater Air Control Systems, such as the Air Force Mobile TACS units, as well as Airborne Command Centers such as the Air Force AWACS planes. Officers who receive the Weapons Director Badge are also eligible to qualify for the Air Battle Manager Badge.

Enlisted weapons director personnel that are eligible are allowed to go to Advanced Weapons Director School (AWDS). This is the most challenging enlisted weapons course in the Air Force. Only a select few have been accepted to the 5 month course and an even fewer number have graduated from this.