What Leonardo da Vinci war machine was designed as a covered, armored vehicle?

Leonardo da Vinci’s armored tank was a covered, armored vehicle designed to move across a battlefield.

Leonardo drew the fighting vehicle around 1485 for the military patron Ludovico Sforza. Its conical shell was made from wooden plates reinforced with metal, giving the vehicle a shape that could deflect incoming projectiles. Several cannons were arranged around the perimeter so the crew could fire in different directions.

The vehicle was intended to be moved by people turning internal cranks connected to wheels. Some versions of the drawing appear to contain a gearing problem that would prevent the machine from moving as shown. Historians debate whether that problem was accidental, deliberate, or the result of incomplete plans.

It was not a modern tank: it lacked an engine, suspension, and a practical crew layout. The familiar name “tank” is a modern comparison, while Leonardo described a protected fighting machine for Renaissance warfare.