The afterburners on combat aircraft require a bigger nozzle to prevent adversely affecting the operation of the engine. The variable area iris nozzle consists of a series of moving overlapping petals with a circular nozzle cross-section and is convergent to control the operation of the engine. If the aircraft is to fly at supersonic speeds, the afterburner nozzle may be followed by a separate divergent nozzle in an ejector nozzle configuration.

Turkey feathers are aerodynamic plates that run over the variable nozzle of a motor outlet. they increase the aerodynamics of the engine outlet.