# Military Types - Fuel-Air Bombs and Mountains

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-types-fuel-air-bombs-and-mountains/511948>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 29, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-types-fuel-air-bombs-and-mountains/511948 "2009-09-29T04:21:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zany\_Zeolite\_Zipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zany_Zeolite_Zipper)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-types-fuel-air-bombs-and-mountains/511948/21 "2009-10-01T02:13:29Z")

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> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#):
>
> In the case of an FAE, the fireball can do horrendous damage over open area because the pressure wave just pushes unburnt combustible out along the shock front AND compresses the atmosphere, making the reaction faster.
> 
> Stranger

If there is unburnt fuel I agree with this. However, I thought the point of a fuel air bomb was that you mixed the fuel in the stoichiometric ratio to get a huge explosion. By the time there is a pressure front, there should be no more fuel.

The way I visualize this is first you have fuel distributed in a sphere. The outer portion is too lean to react, the inner too rich, and the middle which reacts instantaneously to create your FAE. I’m having trouble imagining how the outer lean portion, when compressed, will react violently enough to add a significant pressure effect to the bomb. It would probably look cool and yellow though. I think it might slightly oppose the FAE part. Any idea how significant the unburnt fuel element of the bomb is?

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