Dominator 1
SRV Dominator series
A modified 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe fitted with bulletproof sheet metal, transparent Lexan armor, an external roll cage and racing harnesses. Built to get "as close as humanly possible" rather than to punch through the vortex itself.
Dominator 2
SRV Dominator series
Built on a 2011 GMC Yukon XL with a fully sealed, more aerodynamic outer shell, higher-quality steel armor, swiveling rear seats and anchoring spikes to handle stronger tornadoes than Dominator 1 could safely face.
Dominator 3
SRV Dominator series
A ~10,000 lb "tornado tank" built on a Ford F-350 Super Duty, rated to withstand winds up to 200 mph. Features Kevlar-coated gull-wing doors, hydraulic ground-anchoring spikes, an air-bag suspension that lowers the body toward the ground, and a roof-mounted rocket launcher for parachute probes.
TIV 1
Tornado Intercept Vehicle
A heavily modified 1997 Ford F-450, armored with steel plate and bullet-resistant polycarbonate windows, built to carry an IMAX camera close enough to film a tornado from the inside. Hydraulic claws anchor it to the ground before an intercept.
Abandoned on a Kansas farm after Storm Chasers ended in 2011, rediscovered via a scavenger hunt in 2020, and is now being restored.
TIV 2
Tornado Intercept Vehicle 2
A ground-up redesign for higher clearance, 4WD and more speed, built on a Dodge Ram 3500 chassis by 40 welding students at a technical college. Weighs 14,300–16,500 lbs and carries a redesigned IMAX turret with 50% more windows than TIV1.
UTAV
Urban Tornado Assault Vehicle
An independently built interceptor based on a heavy-duty 1989 Chevrolet Suburban chassis, stretched to roughly 22 feet with welded steel-plate armor and a tubular exoskeleton roll-cage frame protecting the cabin during rollovers.
One of the best-known independently-built "tank" style interceptors in the community, sold in 2023 to chaser Marshal Phipps for restoration.
Tornado Attack Vehicle
TA-1
Built on a Jeep Baja-racing truck chassis over four years and roughly $550,000, with a 700-horsepower V8, 16-gauge steel armor, shatterproof Lexan glass, a hydraulic system to lower and anchor the chassis, and a NASCAR-style interior with a six-point harness, roll cage and fire suit for the driver.
Green worked with a young Reed Timmer, who has said the TA-1 was a direct inspiration for the Dominator series.
Armadillo
Independent tank-style interceptor
A little-documented armored interceptor built on a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 base, outfitted with airbags, ground-anchoring spikes and weather instruments. Rated by its builder to survive roughly 130 mph undeployed and up to 250 mph deployed.
Far less formally documented than the TIV or Dominator series — most of what's known comes from the storm-chasing community rather than press coverage.
Storm Piercer (formerly Dorothy)
Iowa Storm Chasing Network
Built on a Ford E-350 van with welded steel armor, Line-X coating and polycarbonate windows, plus hydraulic flaps to keep wind from lifting it. Originally designed to film from the edge of a tornado's circulation rather than drive inside it.
Sold to chaser Marshal Phipps around 2020–2023, stripped down, and rebuilt as the "Storm Piercer" — reworked with the goal of directly intercepting a tornado rather than filming from its edge.
Tornado Puncher
Community-associated interceptor
A name that circulates widely in storm-chasing and storm-chasing-simulator communities as a rare, heavily armored interceptor, often mentioned alongside the Armadillo and UTAV.
Unlike the vehicles above, we couldn't verify a builder, base vehicle, or first-intercept date for a real-world "Tornado Puncher" from reliable sources — most references trace back to storm-chasing social media and the Roblox game Twisted rather than documented builds. Treat this one as unconfirmed until better sourcing turns up.
Doghouse
TIV support & filming vehicle
A Dodge Ram 2500 equipped with weather radar, GPS and HD filming gear, used to trail the TIV and capture chase footage rather than to intercept tornadoes itself.
Driven at different points by Matt Hughes and Brandon Ivey; the show's 2010 episode "Dedication" honored Hughes after his death that year.