Texas: Remote-Controlled Full-Size Battle Tank Smashes Things for Social Media Adulation

Sometimes, if you have money to burn, you can just click ‘Buy’ on a specialized website, and voila, you have a nice little tank. Alright, I may be exaggerating - it’s anything but little at 56 tons, but the idea is the same. Once the Main Battle Tank (MBT) of the British Army, the Chieftain Tank – or, in military parlance, the FV4201 (FV stands for Fighting Vehicle).

Having shelled out like there’s no tomorrow after purchasing his decommissioned tank from the UK a while back, WhistlinDiesel –the YouTuber in question here – put his money where his mouth was and delivered. Since the tank’s new primary purpose in its new American dream life is to generate attention-grabbing, revenue-making, investment-returning visual content, that’s what it did.

Now, what are tanks most famous for, traditionally? Their looks? The quarter-mile score? Lavishness? Rarity? Ease of maintenance? User-friendliness? Cost-effectiveness? That’s right, none of those things apply. However, all-terrain capability, indifference to bullets, medium-caliber ordnance rounds (and sometimes even large caliber shells), and absolute field dominance are some features that best describe a tank.

Together with sheer mass, heavy armor, and a rugged build, the attributes are perfect for putting a massive hunk of steel through anything. Or over anything, depending on the situation – and chosen victim. But filming inside a tank isn’t nearly as captivating as doing it outside. And, if that isn’t enough, why not drive the tank while not inside it?

No sooner said than done – WhistlinDiesel certainly knows a few wrench-turners who are happy to contribute to his wildly popular videos. This time, he had the engineering wizards turn his tank into an RC-TRV (Remote Controlled Tracked Recreational Vehicle – since the fighting elements have been disabled).

The video at the bottom of this story shows what came from those mechanical hobbits’ hands. From the inside footage, we can see a pneumatic-actuated controller moving the steering tillers. However, the solution chosen for acceleration and gear shifting is not fully disclosed (must be a close-guarded secret available only to tank nerds). Not that it would matter much when the whole point is to point (pun intended) the tank at whatever obstacle the console operator chooses and go full-throttle.

Cody Detwiler (the civilian name of the WhistlinDiesel YouTube Channel host) is in charge of the show, and the first obstacle course he tests his RC Chieftain tank against is a van. With the delicate tenure of an angry bison, the tank gently climbs on top of the GMC Savana 2500 van – and flattens it to smithereens. But a mingy means of transportation is not an adversary for a main battle tank that was considered the best in the business at its launch.

With that in mind, the next challenge for the Chieftain is to drive straight through a tree – something it does without even breaking a sweat. What broke is the trunk of the tall oak that drops straight on top of the charging fortress of steel. It’s time to level up, so the tank gets another go – against a vertically-flipped 40-foot container.

The height difference is visible from the far side of the moon, so a five-foot ramp (1.5 meters) is built next to the towering prism of steel to boost the tank. At full speed (20 mph / 32 kph off-road), the clunking mass of the war machine plunges gun barrel-first through the container, opening it up like a tuna can. Tank 3 – Opponents 0.


Since the British armored chariot of fire proved spectacularly apt at falling trees, the Texan YouTuber puts it at work again. And again. And again – until the amassed logs are enough to build a small cabin. With little else to put the Chieftain through, the final test is a drive up and down a 45-degree ramp. A walk in the backyard couldn’t have been less of a challenge for the tank. Still, karma finally catches up and smacks the terrestrial battleship where it hurts – In the gearbox.

The eight-speed transmission – six forward, two reverse gears – can no longer drive backward. It's a wrap for the day regarding the YouTuber’s remote-operated tanking ambitions – the tank can go to sleep (for now) and add another page to its decade-old service record.

The Chieftain main battle tank entered service with the British Army in 1966, and it last saw action around 1996. However, the UK has exported this tank to several countries – Iran being the primary beneficiary (before the 1979 revolution) – and some of those 1,800-built Fighting Vehicles are still on active duty today. On the other hand, Cody's example was decommissioned long ago, and his war-waging capabilities have been neutered twice.


Once under British laws, and the second time when it got imported to the U.S.A. because the rules were different on the other side of the Atlantic, while the Brits are perfectly alright with a weld on the gun’s breech, America mandates that the barrel must be plugged and bored. The breach needs to be cut off.

However, the YouTube star tank was a formidable weapon when it was battle-ready. At 56 tons, the massive Chieftain was the world's first tank to transition from WWII-era designs to the modern day. Largely considered the first Main Battle Tank in the world, it combines the maneuverability and versatility of a light tank with the firepower of heavy tanks.

The 120 mm rifle-bore gun was considered to have no rival in its heyday, and the sloped armor (between 120 and 195 mm thick) effectively provided the crew with 390 mm of solid steel protection. Due to the steep angle of the turret and hull, the actual thickness of the armor increases proportionally with inclination.

The engine setting this mastodont in motion is an odd-ball multi-fuel vertically-opposed two-stroke double-six-piston unit with 1,200 cubic inches of displacement (19.6 liters). The engine’s architecture is its most striking feature. Six cylinders accommodate three pairs of reciprocating pistons – two in each cylinder sleeve.


Unlike traditional engines with a combustion chamber at one end of the cylinder, the Chieftain engine – a Leyland L60 powerplant – has a different architecture. See the gallery for a cutaway diagram of the powerplant that could deliver up to 750 hp and 1,460 lb-ft (1,980 Nm), depending on the fuel used.

When in service, the tank had to abide by NATO standards that stated that all military vehicles had to be able to run on multiple fuels, from heating oil to fighter jet kerosene. Being a two-stroke, the engine is a chain smoker, as we can see in the video, but that’s just one of the perks of owning a full-sized tank.