AS9100 — Aviation, Space and Defense Quality Management Systems
AS9100 consulting for aerospace suppliers.
Why this matters
AS9100 usually arrives the same way ISO 9001 does: a customer writes it into a purchase order, a prime contractor flows it down, or a new aerospace program will not add you to its approved supplier list without it. The difference is that the bar is higher and the customer is watching more closely. Aerospace customers check certification in OASIS, audit their suppliers themselves, and expect traceability that survives a question about a part delivered years ago.
AS9100D is ISO 9001:2015 plus an aerospace layer: operational risk, configuration management, product safety, counterfeit part prevention, FOD prevention, special process validation and first article inspection, with tighter control of your own suppliers. Most shops that already supply aerospace do much of this in practice. What they lack is a system that proves it, consistently, to an auditor who has seen a great many shops.
Our engagements start from your customers' flow-down and your existing system. If you hold ISO 9001, we build on it rather than replacing it. If the honest answer is that ISO 9001 meets your customer's requirement, or that your work belongs under a standard we do not take on, we tell you in the first conversation.
What's included
A full engagement takes you from gap analysis to an AS9100 certificate. Each part is also available on its own: a gap analysis, a flow-down review, an internal audit, or certification audit support.
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Gap analysis against AS9100D
Two to four weeks against the full standard: the ISO 9001:2015 requirements inside it and the aviation, space and defense requirements layered on top. If you already hold ISO 9001, we start from your system rather than from a template, and you finish with a prioritized list of what exists, what is missing, and what your customers' flow-down adds.
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Customer flow-down mapping
Your purchase orders and supplier quality manuals often matter as much as the standard. We read the clauses your customers actually send, map each one to the system, and show where AS9100 is required, where ISO 9001 is enough, and where a separate approval applies.
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Aerospace-specific controls
The parts of AS9100D that ISO 9001 does not ask for: operational risk management, configuration management, product safety, counterfeit part prevention, foreign object debris (FOD) prevention, special process validation, and production process verification, commonly called first article inspection. Built to fit how your shop already runs.
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Supplier and purchasing controls
Supplier evaluation and monitoring, purchase order flow-down to your own sub-tier suppliers, and the records your customers and auditors expect to trace. This is where many first AS9100 audits find their nonconformities.
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Internal audit and management review
An internal audit against AS9100D before the certification body arrives, led by an ISO 9001 lead auditor, and a management review that produces decisions rather than minutes. Both feed an action register, so findings are closed before Stage 1.
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AS9120 for distributors
For distributors of aviation, space and defense parts, AS9120 is the version of the standard built for you. The work centers on traceability, documentation that travels with the part, and counterfeit part prevention rather than production controls.
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Certification body liaison and audit support
Help choosing a certification body that certifies to the 9100 series, preparation for Stage 1 and Stage 2, support through findings, and maintenance through surveillance. The choice of certification body is always yours.
How we work
The timeline depends mostly on your starting point. A working ISO 9001 system is the shortest route; a first quality management system for a new aerospace customer takes longer.
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Gap analysis (2–4 weeks)
Scope, your customers' flow-down, and a clause-by-clause comparison against AS9100D. Output: a prioritized plan, an honest effort estimate, and a clear answer on whether AS9100 or ISO 9001 is the right target for your position in the supply chain.
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Build and implement
Aerospace-specific controls added to your existing system, or a new system built around how you work. Training for the people who will run it, then an internal audit and management review to close out implementation. A working ISO 9001 system is the shortest route.
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Certify
Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits by a certification body in the 9100 scheme. Findings addressed with corrective action that holds. Once certified, your company appears in OASIS, the IAQG database aerospace customers use to check supplier certification.
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Sustain
Annual internal audits, surveillance audit preparation, updates as customer requirements change, and support through the next revision of the standard when IAQG publishes its timeline.
Where AS9100 sits among aerospace requirements
AS9100 sits inside a family of aerospace requirements. Knowing which of them apply to you, and which do not, is part of scoping the work correctly.
ISO 9001:2015
AS9100D contains ISO 9001:2015 in full and adds aviation, space and defense requirements to it. A company that already runs an ISO 9001 system has most of the structure in place; the upgrade is about the aerospace layer.
AS9120 (distributors)
The 9100-family standard for distributors of aviation, space and defense products. We support AS9120 alongside AS9100.
AS9110 (maintenance organizations)
The 9100-family standard for aviation maintenance organizations. It sits alongside aviation maintenance regulation and is outside what we take on; if your work is maintenance, repair and overhaul, we will say so in the first call.
First article inspection and AS9102
AS9100D requires production process verification, commonly done as first article inspection. Many customers specify the AS9102 format for the report. We build the process and the records it produces.
Nadcap and special-process approvals
Heat treating, chemical processing, nondestructive testing and similar special processes are often subject to Nadcap accreditation or customer approval. AS9100 requires those processes to be validated and controlled; the separate accreditation audit is a different program, and audit preparation for it is not a service we provide.
IA9100: the next revision
IAQG has announced its intent to revise 9100 under a new “IA” designation aligned with ISO 9001. As of October 2026, IAQG had not published a release date or a transition timeline. We build to the current standard and will support the transition once the rules exist. We track IA9100's status here.
Who we serve
AS9100 applies wherever a product, part or service ends up in an aviation, space or defense program. The companies we build for include:
- Aerostructures, sheet metal and machined-part suppliers
- Composites, bonding and assembly shops
- Avionics, electronics and wire harness manufacturers
- Aircraft interiors and component suppliers
- Tooling, fixture and test-equipment builders serving aerospace programs
- Distributors of aviation, space and defense parts (AS9120)
- ISO 9001-certified manufacturers adding an aerospace customer
Frequently asked
Common questions about AS9100
Do we need AS9100, or is ISO 9001 enough?
It depends on what your customer's flow-down says, not on the industry. Some primes tier their supplier requirements: one large aerospace engine maker's published conditions require an ISO 9001 quality management system at the baseline tier and AS9100 only at the tiers above it, which we describe on our Cincinnati page. Read the quality clauses on your purchase orders first. If they name AS9100, you need AS9100; if they name ISO 9001, AS9100 may still be worth it for the customers you want next, but it is a choice rather than a requirement.
We already hold ISO 9001. How much more work is AS9100?
AS9100D contains every ISO 9001:2015 requirement, so a working ISO 9001 system is a real head start. The added work is the aerospace layer: operational risk management, configuration management, product safety, counterfeit part prevention, FOD prevention, special process validation, first article inspection, and tighter supplier control. How much effort that takes depends on how much of it you already do informally. Most shops supplying aerospace already do a good deal of it; the gap is usually evidence and consistency rather than practice.
What is the difference between AS9100, AS9120 and AS9110?
They are three standards in the same family. AS9100 is for organizations that design or produce aviation, space and defense products. AS9120 is for distributors of those products. AS9110 is for aviation maintenance organizations. We support AS9100 and AS9120. AS9110 maintenance work sits alongside aviation maintenance regulation and is outside our scope, which we would rather tell you up front.
Should we wait for the next revision (IA9100)?
No. IAQG has announced its intent to revise 9100 under an “IA” designation, but as of October 2026 it had not published a release date or a transition timeline. Your customers' requirement is AS9100 today, and a well-built AS9100D system is the foundation any revision will build on. When IAQG publishes the new standard and its transition rules, we will help you move across.
Does the ISO 9001:2026 transition affect our AS9100 certificate?
AS9100D is built on ISO 9001:2015, and the transition for 9100 certificates is set by IAQG, not by the Global ACI rules for ISO 9001. Those rules, which give ISO 9001:2015 certificates until September 30, 2029, apply to ISO 9001 certificates. If you hold both an ISO 9001 and an AS9100 certificate, the ISO 9001 one follows the ISO 9001:2026 transition; the AS9100 one follows IAQG's timeline for the next 9100 revision. Our ISO 9001:2026 transition tracker has every confirmed ISO 9001 date.
Who certifies us, and how do customers check it?
A certification body that certifies to the 9100 series, using auditors authenticated for aviation, space and defense audits. Once you are certified, your company is listed in OASIS, IAQG's online database of certified suppliers, which is where aerospace customers check supplier status. We help you compare certification bodies and prepare for both audit stages; the choice of body is yours.
Can you run our AS9100 internal audits?
Yes. We run internal audits against AS9100D as a standalone service, led by an ISO 9001 lead auditor, and we document the competence evidence your certification body will look for when it reviews your internal audit program.
What does AS9100 consulting cost, and how long does it take?
Both depend on your starting point. Upgrading a working ISO 9001 system is the shortest route; building a first quality management system for an aerospace customer takes longer. The gap analysis gives you a real scope and a timeline before you commit to anything more. We do not publish rate cards because they would mislead more than they would inform.
Local context
AS9100 in specific markets
We work from the Kansas City metro. These pages set out what AS9100 actually means in each market — the named program, regulator or customer requirement that drives it there, rather than the same page with the city name swapped.
Other standards we cover
Related management systems
Ready to scope your AS9100 engagement?
Send a short note describing your current state, your target, and your timeline. We respond within one business day with clarifying questions and a path to a no-pressure scope call.
Last reviewed October 2026