How does a gas-turbine engine produce thrust for a jet aircraft?

A gas-turbine engine produces thrust for a jet aircraft by accelerating a stream of air to a high velocity, a process governed by Newton’s second law of motion.1

The engine operates through a continuous cycle:
* Compression: A turbine-driven compressor draws in and compresses incoming air, forcing it into a combustion chamber.23
* Combustion: Fuel is injected into the compressed air and ignited. This causes the gases to expand rapidly, creating a high-energy, high-pressure stream.12
* Expansion and Exhaust: The hot gases rush through a turbine—which powers the compressor—and are then expelled through a nozzle at the rear of the engine.24

Forward thrust is generated as a reaction to the rearward momentum of these high-velocity exhaust gases. In essence, the engine exerts a force to accelerate the airstream from flight velocity to a higher discharge velocity; the reaction to that force is transmitted through the engine mounts to the aircraft as propulsive thrust.21