When the RAF looked at NCO pilots recently during a planning exercise they worked out more expensive than officers over a predicted 20 year period (2016 figures used):
OR-6 Sgt starts on ~£35k and after 20 years as an OR-9 MACR earns about £48k
So far so good.....
OF-1 Fg Off starts on ~£31k and rises to top of Flt Lt on £47k
How many Fg Off's do you have these days versus direct entry Flt Lt's?
This comparison is a little skewed when placed above the statement above... How many 20y Flt Lt's do you have that aren't on PAS?
After 2.5yrs the officer promotes to Flt Lt on ~£39k and the Sgt is either on £36k but promoted to FS about 3-5 years later starting on ~£38k. However, the 2.5yrs that the Sgt gets paid ~£4k more, and the MACR gets £1k+ per year towards the end of the 20 year period means that the NCOs are likely to be ahead by ~£20k over the period.
As you've used NCA pay scales as a comparator, the times above don't match as NCA have minimum 5y in rank before being eligible for promotion - so much of these figures are erroneous.
The RRP(F) is exactly the same for officer pilots as it is for the Army. They also get a retention payment of £70k but at a different point. So no savings to be had there.
Finally, an officer’s quarter is cheaper to the military as the officer pays more for a quarter than a SNCO will pay for theirs per month. Further, the SNCOs get free uniforms, so more money costs there. Plus also, most SNCO aircrew have the education quals for officer entry anyway.
Officers pay more for their MQ as they are far larger, and on many stations, more expensive in upkeep.
The free uniforms, in reality, come down to a set of blues - which cost pennies (or should do based on the quality). SNCO's have to purchase their own No 5's, which are probably more expensive than a set of blues.
So overall, SNCO/WO pilots worked out more expensive than officer pilots!
Not sure if the same applies to the US military, but it’s worth doing the maths (math!) first.