An afterburner is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat. The afterburning process injects additional fuel into a combustor in the jet pipe behind the turbine, "reheating" the exhaust gas. Afterburning significantly increases thrust as an alternative to using a bigger engine with its attendant weight penalty, but at the cost of increased fuel consumption which limits its use to short periods. This aircraft application of "reheat" contrasts with the meaning and implementation of "reheat" applicable to gas turbines driving electrical generators and which reduces fuel consumption.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet being launched from the catapult at maximum power
SR-71 Blackbird in flight with J58 engines at maximum power, with numerous shock diamonds visible in the exhaust
Rear part of a sectioned Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour. The afterburner with its four combustion rings is clearly seen at the center.
The plenum-chamber-burning Bristol Siddeley BS100 engine had thrust augmentation at the front nozzles only.
A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet of heated gas that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include rocket, water jet, and hybrid propulsion, the term jet engine typically refers to an internal combustion air-breathing jet engine such as a turbojet, turbofan, ramjet, pulse jet, or scramjet. In general, jet engines are internal combustion engines.
A Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle being tested in the hush house at Florida Air National Guard base
Jet engine during take-off showing visible hot exhaust (Germanwings Airbus A319)
The Whittle W.2/700 engine flew in the Gloster E.28/39, the first British aircraft to fly with a turbojet engine, and the Gloster Meteor
Heinkel He 178, the world's first aircraft to fly purely on turbojet power
