Fuel Air Explosive do act as Explosives. The bomb package releases a carefully engineered vapor/air column. A detonator at the back/top of the column sends a spray of incendiary projectiles through the column toward the target at the perfect speed to propigate a shock wave so intense that it can collapse underground bunkers. I saw footage of tests broadcast during Desert Storm where you could actually see the shock wave traveling down from the column of burnt fuel/air (which was well above the ground). The shock was not visable by the fog you often see with shock waves, it was visable because the wave acted like a lens -- the air was that much more dense than the air around it.
Does anyone know where that footage could be found?
They are similar to explosives and have in fact some common characteristics BUT, they are not really explosives. The mixture burns instead of explodes. The thing about a fuel/air device is that by dispersing a primed mixture of very fast burning chemicals you imitate a much larger explosive than you actually have. Yes the mixture burns at an incredible rate and you even get the 'boom' of an explosion but you don't get the concussive force of an actual explosive of that size.
There are certain things such as detonation speed, concussive force, ignition characteristics and composition which dictate what is and isn't an explosive. For instance, gun powder burns but doesn't explode. Yet, it has many of the characteristics of explosives under many circumstances.
I'm not trying to criticize but only be accurate. The anti's use a lack of correct information and misinformation against us far to much.
Mike