Position as of October 2026. This article will be updated when the IAQG publishes the new standard and its transition rules.
If you hold AS9100D certification, or you are working towards it, you will have seen growing talk of IA9100. Some of it is accurate, some of it is guesswork, and a fair amount presents estimates as if they were confirmed dates. This article sets out what the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) has actually said, what is still open, and what a sensible aerospace or defence supplier should be doing right now.
The short version
AS9100D is still the current, certifiable standard. Your certificate remains valid, and nothing changes for your next surveillance or recertification audit until the IAQG publishes the new revision and announces transition arrangements.
The next revision will be called IA9100. It is being developed by the IAQG and aligned with ISO 9001:2026, which was published on 16 September 2026.
Publication date and transition period are not yet confirmed. Treat any firm deadline you are quoted as an estimate until the IAQG issues its transition rules.
Why the name is changing
The 9100 standard has always been an international document published under different regional labels: AS9100 in the Americas, EN 9100 in Europe and JIS Q 9100 in Japan. The IAQG is bringing these together under a single designation, IA9100, with “IA” standing for International Aerospace. The related standards follow the same pattern, with AS9110 for maintenance organisations becoming IA9110 and AS9120 for distributors becoming IA9120.
The rename is largely administrative. It simplifies change control and translation, and it reflects how the standard is actually used across the global supply chain. The more important change is the content.
What the IAQG has confirmed
The IAQG began the revision in 2021. Its published key change summary set out a plan of coordination drafts, formal balloting and comment disposition, with publication of the new revision timed to align with the ISO 9001 revision. That alignment is deliberate. IA9100 builds on ISO 9001 as its foundation, so it needs to follow the 2026 edition rather than run ahead of it.
During development, the IAQG identified a set of topic areas for the revision. These include:
Product safety. Stronger integration of product safety throughout the quality management system, not just within design.
Counterfeit parts. Clearer terminology and firmer expectations for prevention and detection.
Sub-tier supplier control. Greater focus on visibility and control deeper into the supply chain, where many escapes originate.
Cyber and data security. Recognising that information security risks can directly affect product quality and safety.
Culture, ethics and human factors. Consistent with the new emphasis on quality culture and ethical behaviour in ISO 9001:2026.
Advanced product quality planning and remote audit methods. Both considered as part of the revision.
What is not yet confirmed
The publication date. The target has already moved once, from an original 2024 date to late 2026. As of early October 2026, the IAQG has not announced that IA9100 has been published.
The transition period. Previous 9100 revisions have allowed up to three years, and many expect the same again. That is an informed expectation, not a confirmed rule.
How the release will be staged. Industry sources disagree on whether the revision will arrive as one major release or in stages.
Specific clause wording. Some commentary suggests that certain planning tools, such as APQP and PPAP, will become mandatory for everyone. Until the final text is published, that should be treated as speculation.
IA9150: a new route for smaller suppliers
Alongside the 9100 revision, the IAQG is developing IA9150, described as a foundational quality management system standard. It is aimed at organisations that have found full AS9100 certification difficult to justify, such as startups, niche manufacturers and build-to-print suppliers entering the sector. If that describes your business, it is worth watching closely, and it may change how you plan your route into aerospace and defence supply chains.
What to do now
You do not need to wait for the final standard to start preparing. The direction of travel is clear enough to act on, and most of the useful work improves your current system anyway.
1. Keep your AS9100D system healthy. Your certification stays on AS9100D until the transition begins. Strong surveillance audit results now make the move to IA9100 far simpler later.
2. Plan your ISO 9001:2026 changes. IA9100 sits on top of ISO 9001:2026, so changes such as quality culture, ethical behaviour, the separation of risks and opportunities, and planning of changes will flow through. Addressing them now puts you ahead.
3. Review supplier management. Look honestly at how much you know about your sub-tier suppliers and how you verify what they deliver. This is one of the clearest themes in the revision.
4. Revisit product safety and counterfeit parts controls. Check that these are genuinely embedded in your processes, not just written into procedures.
5. Bring information security into your risk thinking. If a data or system compromise could affect product conformity, your quality system should recognise it.
6. Budget and plan with sensible assumptions. Plan for a transition during 2027 to 2029, but do not commit to firm dates until the IAQG confirms them.
How Hillscom can help
Hillscom supports aerospace and defence organisations with AS9100 certification, audit readiness and transition planning, drawing on senior quality and mission assurance experience inside the sector. We can help you assess where your current system stands against the ISO 9001:2026 changes and the signalled IA9100 themes, so you can make targeted improvements now rather than a rushed overhaul later.
Find out more about our AS9100 consultancy, or get in touch to discuss your transition planning.
Sources: IAQG IA9100 key change summary and published IAQG development updates. We will update this article when the IAQG publishes IA9100 and its transition requirements.
