AASSEP-11 warning streamers for aircraft-on-ground safety devices

What it is

AASSEP-11, the Allied Aircraft Servicing and Standard Equipment Publication on warning streamers, is NATO's standard for fitting a visible marker to an "Aircraft-on-Ground" safety device: a retractable undercarriage safety lock-pin, a control-surface lock, or a similar device that has to come off before the aircraft can fly. It is covered by STANAG 3714, the NATO agreement by which participating nations commit to using it, rather than a separate technical layer on top of it. Edition A, version 1 was promulgated in May 2024.

A streamer requirement, and design features this page does not reproduce

The publication's own aim is direct: ensure that "Aircraft-on-Ground" safety devices always carry a streamer, warning, and that the streamer gives clear warning the device must be removed before flight. It goes on to set basic design features for the streamer itself, covering things like visibility, durability in service, and secure attachment so no part can come loose and create a hazard on the aircraft. This page does not reproduce the specific colour, dimensions or wording the document sets for those features. Reproducing a NATO publication's own technical text is a licence condition, and at least one participating nation has recorded a reservation against part of this clause, which is itself a sign the detail is not uniform across nations.

A separate security clause

Independently of the streamer requirement, AASSEP-11 carries a general security clause headed "Defence Against Terrorism": aircraft equipment and materiel must be labelled, processed and stored so as to prevent access and tampering by unauthorized personnel, such equipment is inspected and certified before it is used or applied, and servicing and maintenance of aircraft is restricted to authorized personnel. The document does not explain why a streamer publication also carries this clause; the two requirements simply sit together in the same short document.

Who it addresses, and how it binds

AASSEP-11 speaks to the practice of servicing and maintaining aircraft rather than naming a manufacturer or a national authority directly; its security clause states that this work "shall be performed ONLY by authorized personnel". It binds through national agreement: participating nations record their commitment to use it in STANAG 3714, and the publication itself is effective upon receipt once that agreement is in place. For a supplier or an operator, it reaches them the way an Allied Publication normally does, through a national requirement or a contract that names it, not because the document exists on its own.

How it is checked

AASSEP-11 names no certification, audit or accreditation scheme, and no body is described as assessing an organisation's compliance with it. Where the document uses the word "certified", it describes a check on a piece of equipment before use, not on an organisation: relevant equipment is inspected and certified for operational integrity and reliability before it is used. There is no accredited certification body, government surveillance arrangement, or notified-body assessment described anywhere in the text.

How you get it

AASSEP-11 is published by the NATO Standardization Office and, like every NATO standardization document, carries no charge. The Standardization Document Database is the authoritative source, and a national standardization authority can also supply a copy. We credit NATO for the catalogue and neither sell nor host a copy ourselves.