Leonardo da Vinci’s conical armored vehicle driven by crews inside was an armored tank.
Leonardo designed the fighting vehicle in the late fifteenth century, probably around 1487–1489. Its sloped, conical cover was intended to deflect enemy fire, while a ring of small cannons projected through openings around the vehicle. Men inside would turn cranks connected to wheels to move it.
The machine was a design study rather than a fielded military vehicle. Historians have long discussed a flaw in the surviving drawing: the crank and gear arrangement appears to work in opposite directions, which would prevent ordinary movement. Some writers have suggested deliberate concealment, but the reason for the apparent error is not proven.
Calling it a modern tank is convenient but anachronistic. It had armor and guns, yet lacked an engine, tracks, and the practical mobility of twentieth-century tanks. Its importance lies in combining protection, propulsion, and artillery in one concept.