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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

Is that so Mr. Knowidall? Than tell me, what is the difference between an explosive, and a high explosive? I suppose the thermonuclear core of a hydrogen bomb is not an explosive because the nuclear material's energy is not released in a chemical reaction triggered by a shock wave as in your percieved definition? Tell you what, you hold a fire cracker and I'll light it, than you tell us if it exploded or just burned really fast.

The fact is that you can EXPLODE a mixture of fuel vapor and air in such a way that it will apply MORE EXPLOSIVE ENERGY to a large area target than you can with several times the amount of high explosive.

High explosives do not contain the energy, pound for pound, that a FAE does. FAEs have the advantage that they only have to contain half the reactants, whereas High explosives have to contain all the reactants. High explosives do release it faster, potentially producing more power, but that advantage is lost very quickly as the shock wave travels away from the explosion.