A/C (AC7 (admitted – toléré) aircraft)

A/C is the preferred abbreviation for aircraft in NATO terminology. The full entry reads "AC7 (admitted – toléré) aircraft", and the French equivalent is aéronef. The entry comes from NATO's multilingual glossary of abbreviations, AAP-15.

The "AC7" in the entry is not an aircraft model, a contract code or a product designation. It is a NATO terminology status code attached to an admitted term. Anyone reading NATO documents who sees A/C should read it as the short form of "aircraft".

How AAP-15 records A/C

AAP-15 is titled the Glossary of NATO acronyms and abbreviations, with a parallel French title, Glossaire des acronymes et abréviations de l'OTAN. The glossary is bilingual, so each entry pairs an English term with its French counterpart. For this term, the glossary lists the relationship as AC7 (admitted – toléré), A/C as the preferred abbreviation, "aircraft" in English and "aéronef" in French.

You can consult the 2013 edition directly in the NATO Archives copy of AAP-15.

What "AC7 (admitted – toléré)" signals

In this entry, "admitted – toléré" is the abbreviation-status marker. The English word "admitted" and the French word "toléré" express the same status in NATO's two official languages. The marker describes how the term is treated in the glossary. It says nothing about the type, role or capability of any aircraft.

This distinction prevents a common misreading. A bid team that meets "AC7" in a NATO-related document should not look for an aircraft variant or a technical standard behind it. The code belongs to terminology management, and the practical content of the entry is that A/C stands for aircraft.

Where to check NATO terminology

NATO maintains NATOTerm, its official terminology database. It holds non-classified military terminology and relevant non-military terminology. When a NATO abbreviation or term is unclear, NATOTerm and AAP-15 are the authoritative places to confirm it before a proposal repeats it.

A/C and NATO notices on CanadaBuys

Canadian suppliers are most likely to meet NATO terminology through tender notices. CanadaBuys publishes tender notices from Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), other Government of Canada departments and agencies, Crown corporations, broader public-sector organizations and NATO.

NATO notices on CanadaBuys are published through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) eProcurement portal. CanadaBuys identifies the NSPA portal as the authoritative source for current NATO notice information, as described on its page on searching tender opportunities. You can also browse current postings on the CanadaBuys tender opportunities page.

What A/C means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

For a supplier, A/C is a reading aid and nothing more. It is not a certification, a registration, a security clearance or a bidding procedure. When it appears in NATO documentation, interpret it as "aircraft" and carry on with the actual solicitation.

• Read A/C as the abbreviation for aircraft, and aéronef in French documents.
• Treat AC7 as a terminology status code, not an aircraft model.
• Follow the requirements of the specific solicitation you are bidding on.
• For NATO opportunities, confirm current details on the NSPA eProcurement portal.