Definition
Annex 10 is the section of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices that covers aeronautical telecommunications, including the international standards for navigation aids, communication systems, and surveillance equipment used in civil aviation. It establishes the technical specifications that signatory countries agree to follow so that navigation and communication systems work consistently across international borders.
Plain English
Annex 10 is the international rulebook that says how navigation and radio equipment used in aviation must be built and operated, so that a pilot flying between countries can rely on the same systems working the same way.
Context Anchor
In FAA instrument procedure material, Annex 10 may be referenced when explaining international standards behind communication, navigation, or instrument approach systems.
Derivation
ICAO publishes its global standards as a series of numbered Annexes to the Chicago Convention of 1944. Annex 10 is the tenth in that series and is the one assigned to aeronautical telecommunications. The number simply identifies its place in the list, not a ranking of importance.
Why Pilots Care
Aircraft systems built to Annex 10 standards give pilots dependable navigation and communication signals, which directly affects the accuracy of weather data and the safety of instrument approaches.
Intuition Check
Do not read Annex 10 as a local airport building or a general appendix. Here it means a specific international aviation standards document.
Example Sentence 1
The GPS receiver in this aircraft meets the signal performance requirements set out in ICAO Annex 10.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots checked that the aircraft’s VHF radios conformed to Annex 10 before flying into international airspace.