AS9100 is the standard that sets quality management system requirements for organizations in aviation, space and defence (ASD). Its current version, AS9100D, contains the full set of ISO 9001:2015 quality management system requirements and adds industry-specific requirements, definitions and notes. The standard is owned by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) and published in the Americas by SAE International.
According to SAE's records, AS9100D was published on 20 September 2016; the first version of the standard dates back to November 1999. The IAQG's published standards page still shows the 9100:2016 series today (13 November 2026); the next revision is being prepared under the name IA9100.
In short:
- AS9100D = ISO 9001:2015 + additional aviation, space and defence requirements (SAE, IAQG).
- The additions concentrate on product safety, critical items, counterfeit part prevention, on-time delivery and supply chain control (IAQG).
- The next revision will be called IA9100; until it is published, certification continues against AS9100D.
What is AS9100 and who is it for?
According to the IAQG, 9100 standardizes quality management system requirements to the greatest extent possible and can be used at every level of the supply chain worldwide. The aim is to improve quality, schedule and cost performance by reducing or eliminating organization-unique requirements and spreading good practice. Although developed primarily for aviation, space and defence, it can be used in other sectors where a QMS with requirements beyond ISO 9001 is needed.
For Türkiye this means that, for a machining shop, composites producer or electronics assembler supplying an aircraft or defence system manufacturer, an AS9100 certificate is often a precondition for getting onto the approved supplier list. In Europe the same content is published by ASD-STAN as EN 9100; according to the IAQG these publications are technically identical.
What is the difference between AS9100D and ISO 9001?
According to the scope text at SAE, AS9100D includes the ISO 9001:2015 requirements and adds ASD-specific requirements. The same text stresses two principles: the requirements complement, rather than replace, customer and statutory requirements, and where there is a conflict, customer and statutory requirements take precedence.
The IAQG's 9100:2016 executive overview lists the topics added on top of ISO 9001:
- Operational risk management
- Product safety
- Special requirements and critical items
- Configuration management
- On-time delivery
- Counterfeit part prevention
- Expanded requirements for production and external providers
The structure is the same as ISO 9001: context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement. An ISO 9001-certified organization therefore moves to AS9100 by building on its existing system rather than starting from scratch; for the base framework see What is ISO 9001.
What do the AS9100D product safety and counterfeit part requirements ask for?
These two additions are usually the hardest for companies coming from ISO 9001.
Product safety: According to the IAQG's FAQ, this requirement is directly linked to the final use of the product. Every organization should know where and how its product will be used, getting that information internally or from its customer (or its customer's customer). Based on the use and the potential consequences of failure, it should identify critical items and take appropriate action. A supplier of raw materials or off-the-shelf items may have a more limited role in product safety, but the requirement still applies.
Counterfeit part prevention: In the same document the IAQG gives examples of methods: awareness training for purchasing, inspection and design staff; obsolescence management to keep parts available over the product's life; buying from original manufacturers, authorized distributors or other approved sources; traceability back to the original manufacturer; verification through marking checks, testing and chemical analysis; and segregating suspect parts so they never re-enter the supply chain.
Counterfeit prevention is a very concrete task for companies buying electronic components: the purchasing procedure should state clearly which sources are acceptable.
How is an AS9100 certificate verified?
The IAQG runs 9100-series certification through its own certification scheme and keeps the results in the OASIS (Online Aerospace Supplier Information System) database, which it describes as the only aerospace supplier certification and registration data system. Prime contractors use this database when approving suppliers, so being visible in OASIS matters as much as the paper certificate.
Other members of the 9100 family sit under the same scheme: 9110 for maintenance organizations, 9120 for distributors and 9101 for audit requirements. For the maintenance side, see What is AS9110.
When will AS9100E or IA9100 be published?
According to an April 2024 article by NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, the IAQG signed a publication and distribution agreement with SAE International in 2022, after which new IAQG documents and revisions carry the "IA" prefix. That is why the next revision of AS9100 will be called IA9100 rather than "AS9100E".
The same article explains that because AS9100 contains ISO 9001 text, whose copyright belongs to ISO, its revision schedule depends on ISO 9001. ISO's revision plan pushed the IA9100 publication estimate to the fourth quarter of 2026. The 14 themes proposed by IAQG sectors for the draft include product safety, human factors, cyber and data security, counterfeit terminology, culture and ethics, and sub-tier supplier control.
Current status: ISO 9001:2026 was published on 16 September 2026, according to ISO. As of 13 November 2026, the IAQG's published standards and 9100 pages show no IA9100 publication and continue to list 9100:2016 resources. The applicable requirement for companies is therefore AS9100D. When IA9100 is published, the IAQG and certification bodies will announce the transition timetable; it is better to watch for that announcement than to guess a date.
Conclusion: where to start with AS9100?
AS9100D adds the safety, traceability and supply chain discipline of aviation, space and defence to the ISO 9001 framework; its next revision, IA9100, will follow ISO 9001:2026. The first preparation task is to clarify the final use of your products and your critical items; the second is to rewrite purchasing processes with counterfeit risk in mind. For ISO 9001-certified organizations, the most efficient route is a gap analysis of the existing system against the additional requirements.
AS9100D aerospace design and production quality management is part of Orient Global's corporate training catalogue; details are on the trainings page.
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