Afterburner

A device in the exhaust system of a turbojet or turbofan engine, used to increase the thrust for takeoff and for special flight conditions. Since much of the air passing through a gas turbine engine is used only for cooling, it still contains a great deal of oxygen. Fuel is sprayed into the hot, oxygen-rich exhaust in the afterburner, where it burns and produces additional thrust. Afterburners, called reheaters in the United Kingdom, use a large amount of fuel, but the extra thrust they produce makes them efficient for high-performance aircraft.