The F-22 Raptor has a revolutionary ability to supercruise -- to fly at supersonic speeds for extended periods without the use of afterburners. An afterburner is an auxiliary power source that provides extra thrust by injecting fuel into the engines' hot exhaust gasses and burning it. While the F-22 reached a speed of only 1.1 mach during its first super sonic flight, it is capable of supercruising at much higher supersonic speeds for much longer periods of time without afterburners. To date, high performance fighters have had to rely on afterburners to sustain supersonic speeds; however, the F-22's advanced engines are designed to allow supersonic flight without afterburners, which avoids consuming large amounts of fuel.