Updated AECTP 250 and AECTP 500 standards for military equipment, as preferred in EDSTAR

In 2009 the European Directive on Defence Procurement was published, and was transferred into national law in most European Union countries in the last few years. This Directive (and national Laws) gives a clear preference for international (defence equipment) standards: National standards shall not be used in contracts anymore. The objective of the European Commission is to support one European-wide defence equipment market, and national standards are preventing such a European-wide level-playing field. The European Defence STAndards Reference (EDSTAR) system which is being maintained by the European Defence Agency (EDA) is thus referring to the STANAG 4370, which is referring to the AECTP 250 and AECTP 500 series, published by the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). A new version of these standards is published in 2014 (AECTP 250) and 2016 (AECTP 500). Some parts of the AECTP, notably the AECTP 507, needed major upgrades before national standards could be replaced by the AECTP. This activity has been performed by the Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) Action Team of NATO, and maintenance of the E3 standards is performed by Expert Group 7, on E3, of EDSTAR. This paper describes the changes in the standards and activities performed by the E3AT and Expert Group 7.