Weapon Systems Officer

A weapon systems officer ("WSO", pronounced "wizzo") is an air flight officer directly involved in all air operations and weapon systems of a military aircraft.

Historically, aircrew duties in military aircraft were highly specialised and rigid, because the relevant controls, instruments/displays, and/or weapons were concentrated in front of particular seats, panels or positions. That included two-seat variants of fighter or attack/strike aircraft (including late 20th century types such as the F-4 Phantom II, A-6 Intruder, F-111, Panavia Tornado, Sukhoi Su-17/20/22 and Su-30). However, more recently developed aircraft with two-member crews such as the F-14 Tomcat, F-15E Strike Eagle and F/A-18F Super Hornet often feature programmable multi-function displays, which allow roles to be more flexible than previous generation aircraft: multiple crew members can be responsible for detecting, targeting and engaging air-to-air or ground targets, communications, datalinks and/or defensive systems. Roles can be customized, based on experience, expertise, workload, tactics, and weapons being employed. Pilots usually retain the responsibility for flying the aircraft in tactical situations. However, bomber aircraft typically retain more rigidly defined and conventional roles.

In the British Royal Air Force, a WSO (formerly navigator) is a commissioned officer that operates aircraft mission systems on the Tornado GR4 amongst other platforms. Non-Commissioned aircrew can serve as a WSOp (Weapon Systems Operator), an umbrella term for the various specialist aircrew responsible for assisting the pilot in operating the mission systems of the aircraft (e.g. linguists, loadmasters, crewman).

In the United States Navy, WSOs are Naval Flight Officers responsible for manning the weapon systems of the F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter from that jet's aft seat. Prior to the introduction of the F/A-18F, they were known as Radar Intercept Officers (RIO) in the aft seats of the now retired F-4 Phantom II and F-14 Tomcat, as Bombardier/Navigators (B/N) in the right seat of the now retired A-6 Intruder and the heavy attack version of the A-3 Skywarrior, and as B/Ns in the aft seat in the heavy attack version of the retired A-5 Vigilante and Reconnaissance Attack Navigators (RAN) in the aft seat of its follow-on, the retired RA-5C Vigilante.

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