Take the Fox 2 Pro joystick, add a separate throttle and a few extra buttons, and you've got the Afterburner 2. The throttle can either be situated as part of the joystick or it can be separated from it, using the small key attached to the bottom of the stick.

The Afterburner 2 joystick is identical to the Fox 2 Pro model, so there's no need to describe it all over again. The throttle is quite wide and has a pleasant movement. There is a notch for starting up the jet engines and a second one that indicates that you have moved into post-combustion mode. The ergonomics of the handle are good. The back of the hand-rest incorporates an additional rudder operated by an analogue lever. It is easy to manipulate, but we still prefer the rudder that moves by rotating the shaft. Thrustmaster probably realized this, because there is a switch that makes it possible to move the rudder from the stick to the shaft and vice versa. On the other hand, the four buttons on the throttle are inadequate for a device dedicated to flight simulation. A wheel or a second directional button would have been welcome.