Thunderbird 2, a fictional heavy-duty transporter aircraft depicted in the 1960s television series Thunderbirds, is designed to carry specialised rescue vehicles and equipment to disaster sites in one of six interchangeable pods. The pod vehicles were stored within the aircraft's cavernous hangar (as seen in the episode "Cry Wolf") or kept on standby within the pods themselves. The only pod never used to contain equipment is Pod 2 (though it was used to transport a boy back home in "Security Hazard"), and the most common pods used are 3 and 5.
A high-speed, manned 30 ton tunnelling machine capable of boring through even the hardest rock to rescue individuals trapped underground. A serial number of "56156" can be seen on the top rear port side of the Mole. Due to an inbuilt thermal-imaging system in its drill bit, the Mole can be operated with acute precision to ensure that buried individuals are not endangered from rockfalls caused by drill movement despite the fact that the drill screw rotates in the wrong direction. The Mole is carried to rescue sites on its trolley, then tilts to commence drilling. Caterpillar tracks on both sides enable it to return to the surface. The vehicle is often carried in Pod 5, and is notable for being one of the few pod vehicles to appear in multiple episodes; it also appears in the closing credit sequence with the five main Thunderbirds machines and FAB1. It appears in "Pit of Peril", "City of Fire" and "The Duchess Assignment", and is glimpsed in the pod vehicle bay in "Cry Wolf". It is generally regarded as the most popular THunderbird machine after Thunderbird 4 and has had more replicas made than any other pod vehicle.
One of International Rescue's primary pod vehicles. Firefly is a fire-proof vehicle used for demolition and fire fighting work, fitted with a large Cahelium Extract-X built blade and armed with a nitroglycerin cannon to fire shells to extinguish fires at their source. A rear gun can also be used to extinguish fires using foam or water. Firefly is often carried in Pod 3 or Pod 6. Appears in "City of Fire" and "Terror In New York City" and is glimpsed in the hangar in "Cry Wolf". Like The Mole, Firefly has been issued as a model by many toy manufacturers.