Thunderbird 2 has twice been shown operating in environments it was not designed for in both cases, it was a last resort and eventually proved to be a bad idea. In Signals Part 1 and Signals Part 2, Lady Penelope co-piloted, as Gordon was injured, Scott was piloting Thunderbird 4, and Alan and Kayo were in space. Scott also travelled inside Thunderbird 2 in Chain Of Command, it is shown that he is also capable of co-piloting the craft.

The great freighter is piloted by Virgil Tracy, who is often accompanied by his younger brother Gordon, and occasionally Alan. Thunderbird 2 has a maximum altitude of 100,000 feet. Thunderbird 2 is a long range craft, capable of travelling anywhere in the world without the need to refuel. Thunderbird 2 is used in earth-based rescue missions, usually alongside the much faster Thunderbird 1, compared to which it is significantly slower, but has far greater functionality. Like the rest of the Thunderbirds, it was created by Brains and is owned by International Rescue. Thunderbird 2 is a large, supersonic, VTOL freight carrying aircraft.