[Za Paper]

Originally Posted by dreamless

Spoiler:

any sufficiently powerful explosive can make mushroom cloud. mushroom cloud is formed due to the intense heat generated by the explosion that it heats up the air so fast that a strong upward air flow is formed. FAE can generate mushroom cloud depending on its power.

Besides it's shown clearly that it's FAE in the anime, the bombs first spread a "black cloud" in the air, then the black cloud ignites and explode (very clearly shown for the second bomb explosion). That black cloud is the aerosol fuel cloud dispersed by the FAE.

Spoiler:

Any forceful explosion will cause a mushroom cloud because of the quick exansion and contraction of air within the explosion causes a vacuum and resultant mushroom cloud. FAE's are deadly against ground troops because the shock wave of the explosion blows everything out of its path and if you are lucky only your ear drums will burst. The rapid combustion of the explosion also sucks all the oxygen out of the air within a huge radius. So if the blast doesnt get you, you die of suffocation.