System consisting of fuel cell, afterburner and heat exchanger

The system includes a fuel cell (1), and an afterburner (6) for its exhaust gas, to which air is supplied as an oxidizing agent. A heat exchanger (9) warms up the air flow supplied to the fuel cell using the exhaust gas from the afterburner. A unit (23) containing the heat exchanger, a unit (22b) containing the afterburner, and a unit (21) containing the fuel cell are arranged one above the other to form a stack. The afterburner is formed as a surface burner.