Cartridges & Cart Actuated Devices

The Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PAD) Program is a Navy procurement initiative under budget line item 0180, designed to support the acquisition and sustainment of over 700 distinct service life-limited explosive and energetic devices. These devices are essential for flight safety and operational readiness, serving critical functions in ejection seats, aircraft safety components, aircrew survival equipment, and weapon release systems across the Navy and Marine Corps aviation platforms. The program's primary objective is to ensure timely replacement and availability of these devices, which have finite service lives and must be replaced during scheduled maintenance to avoid grounding aircraft or compromising aircrew safety.

The CAD/PAD program's procurement requirements are modeled on the total active aircraft inventory, as reported by the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV). The quantities and types of devices procured each year are determined by the CAD/PAD Requirements Determination Module (RDM), which accounts for platform-specific needs, service life limitations, and fleet maintenance cycles.

The program's funding also supports integrated logistics, reliability life testing, production engineering, quality assurance, product improvement, acceptance testing, and obsolescence management to maintain safety and operational standards.

Funding for the T-6 platform supports the procurement of ejection seat catapult cartridges, rocket motors, impulse cartridges, digital inline timers, and delay initiators. These devices are integral to the aircraft's emergency escape and safety systems. The increase in funding from FY2025 to FY2026 reflects new, higher-cost timed-change sustainment requirements for the T-6 fleet, ensuring that the latest safety technologies are available and that service life limitations are strictly observed.

For the F/A-18 and EA-18 platforms, the budget supports the acquisition of parachute deployment rocket motors, sequencer thermal batteries, under seat rocket motors, impulse cartridges, and seat catapult initiators. Additional items include fire suppression gas generators, fire extinguisher cartridges, ballistic transfer lines, canopy jettison rocket motors, and DFIRS explosive doors. The increase from FY2025 to FY2026 is driven by the need to establish alternate sources of supply and to replenish low stockpiles, with new devices featuring longer install lives to enable deferred maintenance and greater operational flexibility.

Funding for V-22, AV-8B, T-38/F-5, T-45, and other platforms covers a range of CAD/PAD devices, such as canopy initiators, gas generators, shape charge assemblies, fire extinguisher cartridges, mild detonating cords, delay initiators, and ballistic transfer lines. The requirements for these platforms fluctuate based on actual fleet needs, with increases in FY2026 attributed to new aircraft acquisitions and higher-cost sustainment items, including for CH-53K, F-16, F-5, and VH-92A aircraft.

Integrated logistics support maintains supply chain efficiency; reliability life testing verifies propellant longevity; production engineering addresses manufacturing quality; quality assurance ensures design and safety standards; product improvement introduces new technologies; acceptance testing validates device performance; and obsolescence management identifies and qualifies replacement propellants as ingredients or sources diminish. These activities are critical to sustaining the fleet's readiness and safety posture.

The CAD/PAD program aims to maintain a robust inventory of safety-critical devices, minimize risks to aircrew, and ensure uninterrupted aircraft operations. The program's funding addresses service life limitations, fleet expansion, technological advancements, and supply chain challenges. By supporting both procurement and sustainment activities, the program enables the Navy and Marine Corps to meet evolving operational requirements while adhering to stringent safety and reliability standards.