For a rank-1 matrix A, there is a factorization as $A=ab^t$, the product of two vectors a and b. We characterize the linear operators that preserve rank and some equivalent condition of rank-1 matrices over a chain semiring. We also obtain a linear operator T preserves the rank of rank-1 matrices if and only if it is a form (P, Q, B)-operator with appropriate permutation matrices P and Q, and a matrix B with all nonzero entries.