An afterburner (or a reheat) is an additional component added to some jet engines primarily those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to provide a temporary increase in thrust both for supersonic flight and for takeoff (as the high wing loading typical of supersonic aircraft designs means that take-off speed is very high). On military aircraft the extra thrust is also useful for combat situations. This is achieved by injecting additional fuel into the jet pipe downstream of (i.e.
