Thrust converter
Convert engine and rocket thrust between kN, lbf and tonnes-force, and work out thrust-to-weight.
That's 8× as much thrust as a business-jet engine, while a fighter engine on afterburner is 1.08× more. That is enough to hold up about 12,240 kg against gravity.
What it means
How much push is that?
Engine figures are typical published ratings; afterburning, altitude and throttle all change them. Rocket thrust is at sea level.
Every unit
Your thrust in every unit
Learn
Three things worth knowing
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1 kN is about 225 lbf
Multiply kilonewtons by 225 for pounds-force: an airliner engine of 120 kN is about 27,000 lbf. A tonne-force is 9.81 kN.
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Newton’s third law, put to work
Every engine is an action and a reaction: push a mass of gas backwards, and it pushes you forwards just as hard. It works as well in a vacuum as in air, because it needs nothing to push against.
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Thrust is not power
A rocket on the launch pad makes enormous thrust and does no work at all until it moves. Power is thrust times speed, which is why a jet’s horsepower figure depends on how fast it flies.
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Popular thrust conversions
Background
About thrust
Thrust is the force an engine produces by throwing mass backwards: air through a fan, hot gas out of a nozzle. It is an ordinary force, but every industry quotes it its own way: kilonewtons in Europe, pounds-force in the US, tonnes-force for rockets.
On its own a thrust figure says little. What decides whether something climbs is thrust-to-weight: above 1, a vehicle can accelerate straight up.