The senior degree of the Aeronaut Badge was denoted by a star centered above the winged balloon.
The Aeronaut Badge was awarded under the authority of the United States Army Air Service and the United States Army Air Corps until the mid-1930s.
Like its predecessor, the Balloon Pilot Badge was issued in junior and senior degrees.
The Army Air Forces also issued a Balloon Observer Badge for those who served as co-pilots and support crew on board military balloon craft.
Due to the aircraft technology advances of the 1940s, balloon aeronautics became militarily obsolete by the 1950s.