Military Tanks & Helicopters adds a driveable tank and a helicopter with first-person interiors, weapons, and fuel use. Both have 3D models with camouflage textures and looping engine sounds. Press F5 to switch to third person.

Tank controls

W and S drive forward and backward. A and D rotate the hull. The turret follows your view, with limits on how far the barrel can tilt.

Left-click fires an explosive shell. The targeting HUD shows a crosshair and the reload cooldown. In first person, you see out from inside the turret.

Helicopter controls

W and S move forward and backward, A and D turn, Space climbs, and Shift descends. The helicopter collides with terrain. Its cockpit has a translucent canopy, and the rotors spin during flight.

Press H to switch weapons. Hold left-click in gun mode for automatic fire; rocket mode fires one explosive rocket at a time with a longer cooldown. Both aim where you look.

Shift will not make you dismount in midair. Press E to leave the helicopter, preferably after landing.

Making and using fuel

Vehicles start empty. Craft a Fuel Canister with eight iron ingots around an empty center slot. It holds up to 2,000 fuel.

Craft an Oil Bucket by combining a bucket and coal in any arrangement. Put the canister and an Oil Bucket in an anvil to add 500 fuel. Four buckets fill an empty canister.

Hold right-click on a vehicle with a filled canister to refuel it. The helicopter uses fuel faster than the tank.

The mod is still a work in progress. Leave a comment if you find a bug or have an idea.

Motorcycle in 1.1.0

The BMW R75 is an unarmed transport vehicle with WASD steering and a top speed nearly three times the tank's. It has animated wheels and handlebars, engine sounds, exhaust smoke, and a HUD with speed and fuel displays. It uses the same Fuel Canister as the other vehicles. The camera starts in third person; press F to dismount.

Optional integrations add rider scaling through Pehkui, riding poses through PlayerAnimator, and exhaust effects through Photon. The vehicles work without these three mods.

Military Vehicles                                                                                                   

I always thought Minecraft needed proper military vehicles. Not the kind where you sit on top of a block that slides    around - I mean actual vehicles where you climb inside, look through the viewport, and feel like you're operating something heavy and dangerous.

So I built this.

The Tank

A big, heavy tank with a long cannon and thick armor plating. When you get in, the camera drops into the turret and you see the world through a first-person interior view. WASD drives it like a real tank - W and S for forward and back, A and D to rotate the hull. No strafing, because tanks don't strafe.

Left-click fires a shell. The turret follows where you look, the barrel has realistic pitch limits, and shells fly fast with a satisfying explosion on the other end. There's a targeting HUD with a crosshair and a cooldown indicator so you know when you're loaded and ready. It feels like operating a tank, not riding a Minecraft pig with extra steps.

The Helicopter

This one was a challenge to get right. Full 3D flight - W and S for forward and back, A and D to turn, Space to go up,  Shift to descend. It actually respects collision so you can't just phase through mountains.

You get two weapon modes you can swap with H. Gun mode lets you hold left-click for rapid automatic fire, good for strafing runs. Rocket mode fires single high-explosive rockets with a longer cooldown, for when you really need something gone. Both fire where you're actually looking, no weird offset nonsense.

The cockpit has a semi-transparent canopy so you get that helicopter pilot feel, and the rotors spin above you while you fly. Shift is locked mid-air so you don't accidentally bail out at altitude - press E when you actually want to leave, preferably after landing.

Fuel

Neither vehicle spawns with fuel because that felt too easy. You have to make fuel and bring it to your vehicles.

Crafting

Fuel Canister - Shaped recipe: Iron Ingot | Iron Ingot | Iron Ingot Iron Ingot |            | Iron Ingot Iron Ingot | Iron Ingot | Iron Ingot Eight iron ingots in a hollow square. This gives you an empty canister that can hold up to 2000 fuel.

Oil Bucket - Shapeless recipe: Bucket + Coal Just toss a bucket and a piece of coal together. Simple as that.

Filling the Canister - Put your fuel canister and an oil bucket in an anvil. Each oil bucket adds 500 fuel to the canister. Do it four times for a full tank.

Once you have a filled canister, hold right-click on a vehicle to pour the fuel in. The tank is more fuel-efficient than the helicopter, which drinks the stuff. It adds a layer of logistics that makes the vehicles feel earned rather than just handed to you.

The Small Things

Both vehicles have custom engine sounds that loop while you're driving or flying. F5 toggles third-person if you want to admire what you're riding. The models are proper 3D with camo textures, not flat sprites pretending to be vehicles.

This is still a work in progress and there's more I want to add, but what's here works and it's been a blast to build.  If something breaks or you have ideas, let me know.