Leonardo da Vinci sketched an armored tank, a conical, turtle-like vehicle intended for battlefield use.
His fighting vehicle appears in a notebook from the late 15th century. The design had sloped armor, a circular platform and a ring of light cannons. Inside, men would turn cranks connected to wheels, theoretically moving the vehicle while protected from enemy fire.
The machine was never built for Renaissance warfare. Its heavy armor and mechanical arrangement would have made movement difficult, and historians have debated whether the drawing contains a deliberate flaw that would have prevented operation. The vehicle is therefore best described as a design or concept, not a deployed tank.
Modern tanks use engines, tracks and specialized armor. Leonardo’s vehicle had none of those modern features, but its enclosed armored body and mounted guns explain the later comparison.