When NASA Used an RC Tiger II to Drill into Space Shuttle Tires

In the 1990s, NASA needed a safe and controlled way to test the strength of tires for their Space Shuttle. They turned to an unexpected solution: a miniature remote control version of a German Tiger II tank. The tank, named the Tire Assault Vehicle (TAV), would drill holes in the tires to release the pressure inside, preventing them from exploding with the force of a few sticks of dynamite. The TAV was created using a Tamiya remote control Tiger tank and cost less than $3,000 to make. Over its career, the TAV successfully drilled into and relieved the pressure from nine Shuttle tires.

https://tankhistoria.com/experimental/tire-assault-vehicle/

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