Catastrophic kill

A Catastrophic kill, K-Kill or complete kill refers to damage inflicted on a vehicle by a weapon that renders it both unusable and unrepairable. Typically a catastrophic kill results in the ignition of any fuel the vehicle may be carrying as well as the detonation of its ammunition resulting in an explosion

Explosion

An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...

. A catastrophic kill does not preclude the survival of the vehicle's crew, for example the crew of an aircraft might bail out

Parachute

A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag. Parachutes are made out of cloth, most commonly nylon....

 or eject

Ejector seat

In aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocket motor, carrying the pilot with it. The concept of an ejectable escape capsule has also...

.

This type of kill is associated with the Jack-in-the-Box Effect

Jack-in-the-Box Effect

The Jack-in-the-box effect refers to a specific effect of a catastrophic kill on a tank or other turreted armored vehicle in which an ammunition explosion causes the tank's turret to be violently blown off the chassis and into the air...

, where a tank's turret is blown skyward due to the overpressure of an ammunition explosion.