Leonardo da Vinci sketched an armored vehicle with sloped protective plating and cannons arranged around its circular body.
The design resembles a large covered platform or conical shell mounted on wheels. Its sloping armor was intended to deflect incoming projectiles, while the weapons could fire in several directions. Leonardo produced the concept in the late fifteenth century while seeking military commissions.
It is often called Leonardo’s tank, but “armored vehicle” is a more precise description of the historical drawing. It was not a modern tank: it had no engine, turret, or demonstrated battlefield use. A commonly discussed flaw is that the proposed wheel arrangement would make the vehicle difficult or impossible to move as drawn.
The design illustrates Leonardo’s combination of mechanical, architectural, and military ideas. A modern replica built in 2006 showed that the concept could be reconstructed after correcting the apparent gearing problem.