Nowadays, experts of human resource management believe that, for the optimal use of human capital, it is vital to formulate and implement strategies in the field of Quality of Work Life (QWL). Fighter pilots, who have a special role in air support operations, are no exception to this rule, and their performance depends on improving the QWL components. Therefore, it is important to identify the QWL components of fighter pilots. Regarding, the present study seeks to identify the QWL components affecting the performance of fighter pilots based on the exploratory research. The statistical population consist of fighter pilot instructors with more than 25 years of service, at least a master's degree and high-ranking command or staff jobs. Data were collected in two ways: library and field using a semi-structured interview. The interviewees were selected in a purposive sampling based on the mentioned criteria and the interview was continued until data saturation. Validity of the interview questions was confirmed by the Content method and its reliability was calculated by the Test-Retest method (94.7%). Data analysis was performed by thematic analysis method based on the open coding on the expressions of the interviewees and the texts taken from the literature review. The results demonstrated that the components of fighter pilots' QWL are categorized in three areas: "Merit-based compensation system", "Safe and healthy workplace", and "Work-life balance". Finally, some suggestions were presented to improve the performance of fighter pilots based on the QWL indicators identified in this study.