ASD-STE100
The Aerospace & Defense Specification for Writing in Simplified Technical English
What is ASD Simplified Technical English?
English is the official language for technical documentation in the aerospace and defense industries. However, many end-users are confused by complex sentence structures and by the number of different meanings and synonyms of English words. This applies to end-users who are not native English speakers, but also to native English speakers.
As a result of joint efforts of ASD (Aerospace and Defense Industries Association of Europe, formerly known as AECMA) and AIA (Aerospace Industries Association of America), the first issue of the Simplified Technical English specification for the aerospace and defense industries was released in 1986.
We are currently at issue 9 (January, 2025) of the specification. The official name is:
ASD SIMPLIFIED TECHNICAL ENGLISH, SPECIFICATION ASD-STE100 EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TRADE MARK NO. 017966390 STANDARD FOR TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION
ASD Simplified Technical English is an international writing standard that is characterized by a defined grammar and syntax rules, and a limited vocabulary. Today the specification is maintained by ASD and AIA members, which include companies such as British Aerospace, Airbus, Aermacchi, The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, EADS, Dassault and Saab Aerosystems.
ASD Simplified Technical English has become a requirement for the following specifications:
HyperSTE, the leading ASD-STE100 Compliant Checker since 2002
Etteplan offers full ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English implementation services, including:
- Dictionary development, in order to standardize on company-specific terminology
- Training of technical writers and engineers on the rules of Simplified Technical English authoring
- HyperSTE, the leading language check software to ensure compliance with ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English and standardized company terminology.