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Internship Defense Contractor Software Engineer information

See Riverside, CA salary details

$14

$26

$40

How much do internship defense contractor software engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average hourly pay for internship defense contractor software engineer in Riverside, CA is $26.52, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $21.59 and $30.10 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an internship defense contractor software engineer do?

An Internship Defense Contractor Software Engineer assists in developing, testing, and maintaining software systems for defense-related projects under the guidance of experienced engineers. Interns may work on tasks such as coding, debugging, software integration, and documentation, often focusing on secure and reliable solutions for military or government applications. They typically collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to support the development of technologies like radar systems, communications software, or cybersecurity tools. This role provides valuable hands-on experience in a highly regulated and impactful industry.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an internship defense contractor software engineer?

To thrive as an Internship Defense Contractor Software Engineer, you should have a strong foundation in computer science principles, programming languages (such as C++ or Java), and be enrolled in or have completed relevant coursework. Familiarity with secure software development practices, integrated development environments (IDEs), and version control systems like Git is typically expected. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, teamwork, and effective communication are essential soft skills in this setting. These competencies are crucial for developing high-quality, secure software that meets stringent defense industry standards while collaborating effectively in multidisciplinary teams.

What types of projects might I work on as an internship defense contractor software engineer?

As an intern software engineer at a defense contractor, you can expect to work on a variety of projects ranging from developing and testing embedded systems to supporting simulation tools and software used in defense applications. Interns often collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including engineers, analysts, and project managers, to contribute to real-world solutions such as cybersecurity, radar systems, or mission planning software. The work environment is typically fast-paced and emphasizes security protocols, so you'll also gain experience working within strict compliance and documentation standards. These experiences not only build technical skills but also provide insight into how large, complex projects are managed in the defense industry.

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Internship Defense Contractor Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Internship Defense Contractor Software Engineer job openings in Riverside, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 85% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $55,154 per year, or $26.5 per hour.

Software Engineer, Air Defense

Anduril Industries

Irvine, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 25 days ago

Anduril rating

9.1

Company rating: 9.1 out of 10

Anduril

Based on 17 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7.4

Company rating compared to similar companies: 7.4 out of 10

Manufacturers average

Based on 75,935 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

Job description

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Air Defense team builds robots that find other robots and knock them out of the sky. At a time when air superiority can no longer be taken for granted, the Air Defense Team provides mission critical capabilities to warfighters. From detection to tracking, identification, deterrence, and defeat, our family of networked sensors and effectors enables our customers to rapidly close the kill chain against a broad range of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) threats. Working across product, engineering, sales, logistics, operations, and mission success, the Air Defense team develops, tests, deploys, and sustains the Anduril Air Defense Family of Systems (FoS) in challenging operational environments worldwide.

ABOUT THE JOB

We're seeking a Software Engineer to join our rapidly growing team in Irvine, CA. As a Software Engineer on the Air Defense team, you will solve a wide variety of problems involving networking, autonomy, systems integration, robotics, and more, while making pragmatic engineering tradeoffs along the way. Your efforts will ensure that Anduril products seamlessly work together to achieve a variety of critical outcomes. Above all, Mission Software Engineers are driven by a "Whatever It Takes" mindset-executing in an expedient, scalable, and pragmatic way while keeping the mission top-of-mind and making sound engineering decisions to deliver successful outcomes correctly, on-time, and with high quality.

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

  • Own the software solutions that are deployed to customers
  • Write code to improve products and scale the mission capability to more customers
  • Collaborate across multiple teams to plan, build, and test complex functionality
  • Create and analyze metrics that are leveraged for debugging and monitoring
  • Triage issues, root cause failures, and coordinate next steps
  • Partner with end-users to turn needs into features while balancing user experience with engineering constraints
  • Travel up to 30% of time to build, test, and deploy capabilities in the real world

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

  • Strong engineering background from industry or school, ideally in areas/fields such as Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics
  • 3+ years working with a variety of programming languages such as Python, C++, Rust, Go, JavaScript, etc.
  • Experience building software solutions involving significant amounts of data processing and analysis
  • Ability to quickly understand and navigate complex systems and established code bases
  • A desire to work on critical software that has a real-world impact
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Strong background with focus in Physics, Mathematics, and/or Motion Planning to inform modeling & simulation (M&S) and physical systems
  • Developing and testing multi-agent autonomous systems and deploying in real-world environments
  • Feature and algorithm development with an understanding of behavior trees
  • Developing software/hardware for flight systems and safety critical functionality
  • Distributed communication networks and message standards
  • Knowledge of military systems and operational tactics

Working at Anduril

About Anduril, in their own words

From Anduril

As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril delivers cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the warfighter in months, not years.

What Anduril employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

Anduril Industries logo

About Anduril Industries

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Anduril Industries is a trailblazer in the technology industry based in Costa Mesa, CA, US. Founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, the creator of Oculus VR, the company focuses on developing innovative technology to equip and empower those in the defense sector. Its primary products include cutting-edge autonomous systems and AI software that assist in combating threats to national and global security. The mission of Anduril Industries is to integrate technology and defense by building transformative, scalable solutions that ensure a safer world.

Industry

Guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing

Company size

501 - 1,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Costa Mesa, CA, US

Year founded

2017

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