A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous and internal combustion engine. The main elements common to all gas turbine engines are:

an upstream rotating gas compressor
a combustor
a downstream turbine on the same shaft as the compressor.A fourth component is often used to increase efficiency (on turboprops and turbofans), to convert power into mechanical or electric form (on turboshafts and electric generators), or to achieve greater thrust-to-weight ratio (on afterburning engines).
The basic operation of the gas turbine is a Brayton cycle with air as the working fluid: atmospheric air flows through the compressor that brings it to higher pressure; energy is then added by spraying fuel into the air and igniting it so that the combustion generates a high-temperature flow; this high-temperature pressurized gas enters a turbine, producing a shaft work output in the process, used to drive the compressor; the unused energy comes out in the exhaust gases that can be repurposed for external work, such as directly producing thrust in a turbojet engine, or rotating a second, independent turbine (known as a power turbine) that can be connected to a fan, propeller, or electrical generator. The purpose of the gas turbine determines the design so that the most desirable split of energy between the thrust and the shaft work is achieved. The fourth step of the Brayton cycle (cooling of the working fluid) is omitted, as gas turbines are open systems that do not reuse the same air.
Gas turbines are used to power aircraft, trains, ships, electrical generators, pumps, gas compressors, and tanks.