Re: Current game effects of thermobaric ammo
Not only that, being thermobaric (Fuel-Air Explosive) it rips all the local oxygen right out of the air to fuel the explosion (The bomb provides the fuel cloud, the environment the air), and that includes any residing in the lungs of anyone unlucky to be caught in there too.
(In that it is somewhat similar to flame-throwers & napalm - the primary thing those did was to consume the limited air in a targeted bunker(or tank) to fuel the petroleum fire, and so asphyxiate the defenders or force them out into the flame seeking oxygen. Choke effect as much as toast.)
The FAE "explosion" does not happen at one point (like an HE shell) but happens all around the cloud of fuel the bomb had dispersed prior to the ignition event. Everything basically goes off at once, and you get multiple shock waves and debris coming from all angles, not just from the single point source of an HE explosion. If the grunts in the fuel cloud have breathed in any fuel droplets in the time before ignition, nasty.
Basically a manufactured version of a flour/grain elevator or coal-dust mine explosion, or a domestic gas leak.
Again flame-throwers can be used to 'roll your own FAE' - it was common practice in WW2 for Churchill Crocodiles to hose down a bunker with raw unlit fuel and let it soak in for a few seconds, to emit petroleum vapour which would pool in the enclosed spaces of the building as the fuel splashed about. Then fire a final live flame shot for a nice big WHUMP.
In Real Life - FAE are subject to atmospheric conditions (wind, rain, fog, etc) which can cause them to fizzle.
Cheers
Andy
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