Plural of afterburner; rocket or jet engines attached to aircraft that provide additional thrust by igniting unused fuel in the exhaust.
Compound of 'after' and 'burner' (from Old English byrnan, 'to burn'). The term became standard in aviation during the jet age (1940s-1950s) when military aircraft needed rapid acceleration.
Afterburners are why fighter jets can break the sound barrier—they literally set the exhaust on fire to create extra thrust, and the fuel consumption is so massive that a jet can only use afterburners for a few minutes. They're the aviation equivalent of a nitrous boost in drag racing.
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