Blame the web guy! Dassault, a big aerospace prime and IAQG member, has apparently no clue what the AS standards are really for. And it’s très drôle, as the French say.

Over at the website of subsidiary Dassault Systèmes, they have a page dedicated to “Aerospace Manufacturing Methods for Prototyping and Production” that includes a bizarre paragraph attempting to summarize the IAQG’s AS series of standards. I am not sure if an early AI model wrote this or if the human behind it had suffered a brain stem injury, but it’s absolutely batshit wrong:

Industry certifications help companies identify manufacturers that meet the rigorous quality standards of the aerospace industry. The most important certifications for aerospace and defense companies include AS9100D, C, and B, ISO-9001:2015, AS-5553, and ITAR. AS9100 D is the ISO-9001 version of quality requirements for aerospace and was developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the European Association of Aerospace Industries (EAAI). AS9100 D is the standard for aerospace quality.

AS9100 refers to aircraft maintenance and repairs. AS9100 B covers the storage and distribution of aircraft parts. AS -5553 is the Aerospace standard for the prevention and use of counterfeit parts. ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)is specific to the Defense industry and regulates exports overseen by the United States Department of State (DOS). Manufacturing any items intended for defense-related or military end-use applications requires ITAR compliance. These certifications are needed to operate in the aerospace industry.

Let’s break down all the errors. First, Dassault seems to think that the obsolete revisions of AS9100 (as in “b” and “c”) are entirely different standards. They conflate them with the actual standards AS9110 and AS9120. That’s cringeworthy bad.

Next, they say AS9100 was developed by SAE, when SAE only acts as the publisher; it’s developed by IAQG… the very thing that Dassault is a full member of!

Up next, the European Association of Aerospace Industries didn’t develop the standard. It’s a stretch, but another European organization, ASD Europe, actually has a bit more of a role at IAQG. The European Association of Aerospace Industries (which is abbreviated “AECMA” and not “EAAI” — so they got that wrong, too) disbanded to form ASD Europe all the way back in 2004, so the Dassault website is over 20 years late.

Want more? I have you covered. “AS9100 refers to aircraft maintenance and repairs.” Umm… no.

“AS9100 B covers the storage and distribution of aircraft parts.” Wrong again, Whatsit.

“ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) is specific to the Defense industry and regulates exports overseen by the United States Department of State (DOS).” Nearly every word in that sentence is wrong.

“Manufacturing any items intended for defense-related or military end-use applications requires ITAR compliance.” Umm… maybe. not everything produced in the defense industry is ITAR-controlled. And certainly not if you are making things in France for the French.

“These certifications are needed to operate in the aerospace industry.” Bullshit. Or, as they say in French, Búllshît!

So, yes, this was clearly the work of an underqualified web guy. Will Dassault fix this? I’ve written them to, but I’m not holding out much hope.