Field Guide
MIL-STD List for Technical Manuals and Data
The Short Answer
One List, Grouped by Job
There is no single MIL-STD for technical manuals. A manual draws on a content standard, often a style and format layer, sometimes business rules for S1000D, and a handful of supporting documents for data and numbering. This page lists the ones that come up most, grouped by what they do, with the status each shows on 4 November 2026.
If you need to know which of them applies to your program, start with which MIL-STD governs your technical manual. This page is the reference you check the citation against.
Reading a Number
How to Read a MIL-STD Designation
- The prefix says what kind of document it is
- MIL-STD is a standard: a uniform way of doing something. MIL-PRF is a performance specification (what the result must achieve). MIL-DTL is a detail specification (how it is specified in detail). MIL-HDBK is a handbook: guidance, not a requirement. Older documents use letters such as MIL-M (manuals) or MIL-D (data); a newer standard often supersedes one of these under the same subject.
- The letter after the number is the revision
- MIL-STD-40051E is Revision E. No letter means the base document. Each revision replaces the one before it, so the letter must be part of the citation: a contract that cites Revision C owes Revision C.
- Change and Notice are not the same
- A Change alters the document's content, and ASSIST then shows the file as "change incorporated" (MIL-STD-40051E Change 1, 30 July 2025). A Notice is an administrative action on the document: validation, inactivation, or cancellation.
- A slash or a dash after the number picks a part
- MIL-STD-40051-1 and -2 were separate parts; the older form MIL-STD-40051/2C means Part 2 at Revision C. MIL-STD-3001/4A is Part 4 of eight at Revision A. Detail specifications use slash sheets the same way, as in MIL-DTL-24784/11.
- A suffix in parentheses names the owner
- A suffix such as (AV) or (USAF) after the designation identifies the service or command that maintains the document. MIL-PRF-63029E(AV) was an Army aviation document.
- Status words carry weight
- Active means current. Inactive for new design means existing programs may keep using it but new designs should not cite it. Canceled means withdrawn, and ASSIST shows what replaced it as "S/S by" (superseded by). A canceled document still binds a contract that cites it.
The List
Standards, Specifications, and Handbooks
Revisions and notices change. Check the current record on ASSIST before you cite any of these in a bid or a contract.
Technical manual content, style, and format
The standards a manual is written to. Which one applies depends on the service and the contract.
| Number | Status | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| MIL-STD-40051EPreparation of Digital Technical Information for Technical Manuals (TMs) | Active. Revision E, 25 March 2025; Change 1, 30 July 2025 | The U.S. Army's content, style, and format standard, built on work packages. One document for page-based and interactive manuals alike since Revision E. |
| MIL-STD-40051-1Former Part 1, interactive manuals (IETMs) | Canceled 25 March 2025; superseded by MIL-STD-40051E | Last issued as 40051-1D with Change 1 (22 November 2021). Older contracts still cite it. |
| MIL-STD-40051-2Former Part 2, page-based manuals | Canceled 25 March 2025; superseded by MIL-STD-40051E | Last issued as 40051-2D. A citation written MIL-STD-40051/2C means this part at Revision C. |
| MIL-STD-3001Digital Technical Information for Multi-Output Presentation of Technical Manuals | Issued in eight parts (3001/1 to 3001/8); latest listed Revision A with Change 1, 1 December 2016 | The NAVAIR work package standard, covering page-based and interactive output from one source. |
| MIL-DTL-24784D(1)Manuals, Technical: General Acquisition and Development Requirements, General Specification for | Active. Notice 1, 13 April 2026 | The general specification for Navy manuals, with numbered slash sheets for particular manual types such as ship information books, technical repair standards, and illustrated parts breakdowns. Navy technical manuals explained. |
| MIL-DTL-87929Technical Manuals, Operation and Maintenance Instructions in Work Package Format (for USAF Equipment) | Latest listed Revision F, 10 November 2020 | Air Force work package manuals for equipment, a detail specification rather than a business-rules standard. Air Force technical orders. |
| MIL-STD-38784CStandard Practice for Manuals, Technical: General Style and Format Requirements | Current. Revision C, 4 September 2024, superseding Revision B (2020) | The DoD-wide style and format layer that sits beside a content standard. It descends from MIL-M-38784, the designation older documents use. |
| MIL-HDBK-1222Guide to the General Style and Format of U.S. Army Work Package Technical Manuals | Handbook; guidance only | Companion guidance for Army work package manuals. A handbook explains how to apply a standard; it does not add requirements of its own. Check ASSIST for the current revision letter. |
S1000D business rules
S1000D is an international specification. These documents settle the choices it leaves open for a given service.
| Number | Status | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| MIL-STD-3031BArmy Business Rules for S1000D | Current. Revision B (2024) with Change 1 (2025); aligns to S1000D Issue 4.2 | How the Army applies S1000D, from page-oriented output through interactive publications and depot-level work requirements. |
| MIL-STD-3048CAir Force Business Rules for the Implementation of S1000D | Active. Revision C, 15 May 2023 | How the Air Force applies S1000D to Technical Order content. |
| MIL-HDBK-523Guide to the General Style and Format of S1000D Technical Manual Data Modules | Handbook. Change 1, 12 August 2016 | Style and format guidance for S1000D data modules, named as a companion to the Army business rules. |
Interactive manuals (IETMs)
The older IETM specifications. Most live programs now point at a service standard above instead.
| Number | Status | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| MIL-DTL-87268 and MIL-DTL-87269Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals, general content, style, format, and user-interaction requirements; and the revisable database for them | Last issued as Revision D with Amendment 1 (2019); listed as superseded by MIL-STD-3048 | These began as MIL-M-87268 and MIL-D-87269 in November 1992, became performance specifications in 1995, and moved to detail specifications in 2007. The 1992 pair is what IETM Class 4 was written to deliver. IETM levels explained. |
| MIL-HDBK-511Interoperability of Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) | Handbook. Notice 2, 16 July 2007; no superseding document listed | Guidance on making IETMs from different sources work together. |
Operator manuals and commercial manuals
Specifications for particular manual types rather than whole service families.
| Number | Status | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| MIL-PRF-63029Manuals, Technical: Requirements for Operator's Manuals and Checklists for Aircraft | Canceled June 2026; superseded by MIL-STD-3083(AV) | Army aircraft and uncrewed aircraft operator manuals and checklists. The last revision before cancellation was J (7 August 2014). Why IADS is everywhere. |
| MIL-PRF-32216AEvaluation of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Manuals and Preparation of Supplemental Data | Revision A, 12 August 2011 | Evaluating a manufacturer's own manual and filling the gaps with supplemental data. Army publication procedures cite it for manufacturer's manuals. Army technical manual numbering. |
Technical data, exchange, and numbering
Not manuals, but they decide what data a manual is built from and how it moves.
| Number | Status | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| MIL-STD-31000CTechnical Data Packages | Active. Revision C, 3 February 2025 | The technical data package: its levels, 2D and 3D types, and elements. Older contracts may call it MIL-DTL-31000 or MIL-T-31000. Model-based definition. |
| MIL-STD-1808Interface Standard: System, Subsystem, Sub-Subsystem Numbering | Latest listed Revision C with Change 2, 16 April 2020 | A numbering scheme for systems, subsystems, and sub-subsystems. It is a numbering standard, not a manual standard. |
| MIL-HDBK-2361Army Digital Publications Development Implementation Guide | Handbook. Latest listed Revision D, 15 February 2019 | Army guidance on implementing digital publications development. |
| MIL-STD-1840CAutomated Interchange of Technical Information | Inactive for new design since Notice 1, 22 April 2010 | The 1997 interface standard for exchanging digital technical information between organizations. It shows up in legacy delivery requirements. |
Legacy markup (SGML)
The generation before XML. The documents are inactive; the libraries built under them are not.
| Number | Status | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| MIL-PRF-28001CMarkup Requirements and Generic Style Specification for Electronic Printed Output and Exchange of Text | Inactive for new design since Notice 1, 22 April 2010 | The SGML markup and FOSI scheme, issued as MIL-M-28001B on 26 June 1993 and reissued as a performance specification on 2 May 1997. Existing SGML manuals still carry FOSIs. What is a FOSI?. |
Getting Copies
Where to Get Them
The official source is ASSIST Quick Search, run by the Defense Logistics Agency. It is free for unclassified documents. Search by document number, open the record, and read three things before you download: the status, the revision history, and any notices. The record shows what superseded a canceled document.
Mirrors and standards stores carry copies too, and they can lag behind a new revision or miss a notice. For a bid or a deliverable, use the ASSIST copy and note the revision letter and change number in your own records. The reference pages for MIL-STD-40051, MIL-STD-38784, and MIL-STD-31000 each say what to download.
Which One Applies
From the List to Your Contract
A listed standard binds only when your contract cites it, at the revision it names. Read the citation first. Our TM contract review checklist walks through it, and the comparison of MIL-STD-40051 and S1000D covers the fork that matters most for Army work. For the ownership map itself, see which MIL-STD governs your technical manual.
FAQ
Questions We Hear
What is the difference between a MIL-STD, MIL-PRF, MIL-DTL, and MIL-HDBK?
A MIL-STD is a standard practice or interface standard. A MIL-PRF is a performance specification, which states the result required. A MIL-DTL is a detail specification, which states requirements in detail. A MIL-HDBK is a handbook that gives guidance and adds no requirements of its own. Only what the contract cites binds a contractor.
What is MIL-STD-40051E?
Revision E of the U.S. Army's technical manual standard, issued 25 March 2025 and amended by Change 1 on 30 July 2025. It replaced the separate -1 (interactive) and -2 (page-based) parts, which were canceled the same day, so one document now covers both kinds of manual.
Where can I download MIL-STD-31000 or MIL-STD-38784 as a PDF?
From ASSIST Quick Search, the Defense Logistics Agency's official repository for defense specifications and standards. It is free, and it shows the current revision and any notices. MIL-STD-31000 is at Revision C (3 February 2025) and MIL-STD-38784 at Revision C (4 September 2024). Copies elsewhere can lag behind.
If a standard is canceled or inactive, can a contract still cite it?
Yes. A standard binds when the contract cites it, at the cited revision, whatever its status today. Many older contracts cite MIL-STD-40051-1D or -2D, which were canceled in 2025. Read the citation first, then check what replaced it.
Which MIL-STD applies to my technical manual?
The contract decides, usually through the service that owns the equipment: the Army cites MIL-STD-40051 or S1000D under MIL-STD-3031, NAVAIR cites MIL-STD-3001, and the Air Force runs Technical Orders with MIL-STD-3048 for S1000D content. Our guide to which MIL-STD governs a technical manual walks through the decision.
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