Which of the following represents the two types of IED initiators?

• A. Mechanical and Chemical
• B. Thermal and Magnetic
• C. Electrical and Non-electrical
• D. Mechanical and Thermal

Answer: (C)

Initiators are devices that start the explosive train in an IED. They’re classified by how they’re activated. The two widest categories are electrical initiators, which use an electric current to trigger the detonation, and non-electrical initiators, which are triggered by a mechanism other than electricity—such as mechanical action, chemical reactions, or other physical stimuli. This broad division covers all initiation methods used in IEDs, making it the most complete pairing. The other ideas suggested—like mechanical and thermal as a pair—are subsets of non-electrical methods and don’t represent the standard binary separation used in field terminology. So the best answer is that initiators are either electrical or non-electrical.