Leonardo da Vinci designed an armored tank with sloped armor and room for eight men.
His fighting vehicle was drawn around 1487, probably while he was working for Ludovico Sforza in Milan. The conical, covered vehicle was intended to move across a battlefield while protecting its crew from incoming weapons. Its exterior included angled armor and positions for light cannons.
The design is often called Leonardo’s tank, although it was never built or used in war. A group of operators inside would turn cranks connected to wheels, theoretically propelling the machine. Some modern commentators note that the gearing shown in the drawing would make the vehicle difficult or impossible to move as depicted.
Leonardo’s vehicle was not a modern tank in the fully developed military sense. It was a Renaissance armored fighting-machine concept, combining mobile protection, weapons, and crew operation in one structure. Its historical importance lies in the idea rather than battlefield success.