[Paul R.]

Now, that is an interesting piece of information.

What are the odds of blowing one or more of those tanks with the various weapons being suggested, at the distance they were at in this case?

[TruBluKentuckian]

I believe Mythbusters did something like that and found it fairly difficult to blow a tank like that by shooting at it.

Been a while since I saw the episode so I’m not real sure of the conclusion.

[combat_boots]

I think I’ll rewatch “The Kingdom” Secondary blasts....

He’s sounding more and more to me like an “Oswald” (JFK)

[Svartalfiar]

What are the odds of blowing one or more of those tanks with the various weapons being suggested, at the distance they were at in this case?

Extremely small. Most jet fuels (depends on mixture/composition) have lower/upper explosive limits of .7-4% (regular gas is 1.4-7.6%). What this means is there needs to be a specific amount of fuel gas in the air for it to be explosive. If it's higher or lower, it will not explode. It is still flammable, but not explosive.

So when it comes to shooting fuel tanks, you'll definitely be able to punch holes and create leaks, but very unlikely to explode. You won't get sparks from the rounds, since both lead and copper don't spark (I'm assuming no tracer/explosive rounds, obviously they have ignition). Steel core ammo CAN spark, however. The heat from friction of flight/mashing into the tank will heat them up, but without a spark there won't be any explosion. Jet fuel's auto-ignition point is 410 degrees F, which is the temperature required for it to ignite if there are no sparks/outside flame.

So, chances are all you'll be able to do is create a big leak. Fire, not too likely, and explosion even less so.