Leonardo da Vinci’s armored vehicle is widely described as an early design for a tank.
Leonardo drew the fighting vehicle in the late 15th century, probably while developing military concepts for Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. Its conical armored shell was intended to protect occupants while several light cannons projected through openings around the structure.
The vehicle was to move using cranks connected to wheels. It was not a working tank in the modern sense: Leonardo’s sketch contains a mechanical problem that would prevent the wheels from turning correctly if built exactly as drawn. Historians have debated whether that flaw was accidental or deliberate.
Modern tanks use engines, tracks, armor, and rotating turrets, none of which Leonardo possessed. The connection is conceptual rather than technological. His design combined protected movement and onboard weapons, the central features that make it an important precursor in the history of armored vehicles.