Abstract
This study identifies global technological and parametric trends in afterburner design for turbofan engines used in combat aircraft. A sample of 22 third-, fourth-, and fifth-generation aircraft was assembled, and propulsion systems were grouped by Maximum Afterburning (Max AB) thrust: <50 kN, 50–100 kN, and >100 kN. Three efficiency criteria were developed: (i) K 1, relating thrust-to-weight to total air mass flow; (ii) K 2, integrating thrust-to-weight with specific fuel consumption at Max AB; and (iii) K 3, an integral system indicator combining engine thrust, fuel efficiency, number of engines, aircraft maximum speed, combat load, and takeoff weight. Normalized values (0–1) and trends versus development year were analyzed. Results show clear, but non-linear, improvements across generations. Low- and medium-thrust classes exhibit the steepest gains, while the high-thrust class improves more moderately due to platform-level constraints (e.g., weight growth) and stealth-driven afterburner/nozzle compromises that can reduce pressure recovery and K 1. Despite these trade-offs, modern designs achieve higher integrated efficiency (K 3) via better balances of thrust, fuel economy, and payload/speed. Convergence of normalized indicators suggests proximity to practical technological limits for afterburning sections under current constraints. The methodology provides a quantitative basis for comparing AES concepts and supports future work on variable-cycle/adaptive systems and low-observability-compatible combustor/nozzle solutions.