USN Aviation Boatswain Launch Exam Prep

USN Aviation Boatswain's Mate — Equipment (ABE) NWAE Study Guide

The Aviation Boatswain's Mate — Launching and Recovery Equipment (ABE) rating operates and maintains the catapults and arresting gear that make a carrier a carrier. ABE Sailors run the C-13-1 and C-13-2 steam catapults on Nimitz-class ships, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on the Ford class, the Mk 7 Mod 3 hydraulic arresting engines, and the new Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) — plus barricades, jet blast deflectors, and the visual landing aids lighting systems.

Typical billets are V-2 Division aboard CVN/CVAs (flight deck, catapult spaces, arresting-gear rooms below the flight deck), shore training billets at ATRC Lakehurst, and instructor duty at the Catapult and Arresting Gear school. Flight-deck ABEs wear green shirts.

NWAE exam structure

The Navy-Wide Advancement Exam for ABE is 150 multiple-choice questions over 2.5 hours, given twice a year (March and September). Results feed the Final Multiple Score with PNA, awards, evaluation average, and service-in-paygrade determining selection.

Rating Bibliographies (Bibs)

NAC Pensacola publishes the ABE bib. Coverage is heavily weighted toward NAVAIR 51-series (catapult) and 51-40 (arresting gear) technical manuals, plus recent EMALS/AAG advisories. Always download the latest bib from MyNavy Portal for your cycle before building a study plan.

What to study

• NAVEDTRA 14315 (ABE Rate Training Manual) — catapult and arresting gear fundamentals
• NAVAIR 51-15BAA-1 / 51-15ABA-1 — C-13-1/C-13-2 steam catapult operation, retraction, water-brake, launch valve
• NAVAIR 51-40ABA-2 — Mk 7 Mod 3 arresting engine, purchase cable, crosshead, constant runout valve
• EMALS / AAG (Ford-class) — linear induction motor basics, energy storage subsystem, water twister principles
• NAVAIR 00-80T-120 and 00-80R-14 — flight deck operations, director signals, foul deck/clear deck procedures, weight board
• Catapult steam plant interface — steam accumulator charging, wet/dry accumulator operation, launch valve timing
• Barricade rigging and JBD operations — Mk 7 barricade webbing installation, JBD raise/lower cycle
• Safety — topside/topside safety, cat officer/shooter signals, hangfire and no-load procedures

Common pitfalls

Do not confuse ABE with ABF or ABH — the exam is tightly focused on launch and recovery. Another pitfall is skipping EMALS/AAG content because your last ship was a Nimitz — the bib now includes Ford-class gear and it 's tested. Know your weight-board calculations cold: wind over deck, aircraft gross weight, end speed — these are always on the exam.

Study strategy using MMCE.app

Use MMCE.app's adaptive drills to find the difference between what you think you know and what the bib tests. The IRT engine pushes you into the 70 th-percentile-difficulty band for YOUR current level, so every question actually teaches. Flag any catapult capacity chart or arresting-gear weight/speed table question and chain it to an AI tutor follow-up to be sure you understand the underlying physics (steam pressure vs. end speed, purchase cable reeving, constant-runout valve cam profile). Close each week with a full 150-question timed test.

Career progression

ABE1/ABEC is a flight-deck leadership pipeline — Topside Safety PO, Cat Captain, Arresting Gear Officer billets, and eventually Aircraft Handling Officer (ABECM) or CWO-732 (Ship's Boatswain aviation track). After the Navy, ABE experience translates into launch-and-recovery contractor work at NAWCAD Lakehurst and defense suppliers building EMALS/AAG.