Leonardo da Vinci designed an armored fighting vehicle commonly called Leonardo’s tank, driven by people turning internal cranks.
The machine appeared in a drawing from about 1487–1489. Its sloped, conical cover was intended to deflect enemy fire, and the platform carried multiple light cannons around its perimeter. The vehicle was meant to move across a battlefield while protecting its crew.
The design was never built for Leonardo’s patron, Ludovico Sforza. Modern reconstructions often point out that the crank mechanism, as drawn, would make the vehicle move backward unless corrected. Some historians interpret that flaw as a deliberate sabotage or an error in the sketch, but the evidence does not establish Leonardo’s intention. It was an armored vehicle concept, not a modern tank with an engine and rotating turret.