Leonardo da Vinci sketched an armored tank as a circular, covered military vehicle equipped with cannons.
The design appears in Leonardo’s notebooks from the late 15th century. It resembles a conical, turtle-shaped shell mounted on a platform, with weapons projecting through openings around its perimeter. The vehicle was intended to protect soldiers while allowing them to fire at opponents.
Several people would have had to turn internal cranks to drive the wheels. The surviving drawing also contains a gearing problem that would make the vehicle move in the intended direction only after correction. Historians debate whether the error was accidental or deliberate, since Leonardo sometimes concealed technical ideas.
Calling the machine a “tank” is modern shorthand. It was not a modern tracked tank and was never built as a functioning battlefield vehicle in Leonardo’s lifetime. Its significance lies in its early combination of armor, mobility, and mounted artillery.