Leonardo da Vinci’s early armored vehicle is commonly called Leonardo’s tank.
Leonardo designed the fighting vehicle in the late 15th century, probably while seeking military employment from Ludovico Sforza in Milan. The machine resembles a large conical shell mounted on wheels. It was intended to carry a crew protected by armor while firing light cannons through openings around its perimeter.
The vehicle was to be moved by cranks connected to gears. Modern reconstructions have pointed out that the surviving drawing contains a gear arrangement that would make the vehicle move backward rather than forward. Historians debate whether this was a deliberate security flaw, a drafting error, or simply an unresolved mechanical problem.
Calling it a tank does not mean it was a modern tank. Leonardo’s machine had no engine, turret, tracks, or practical battlefield record. The label is retrospective, but the design clearly combines armored protection, mobility, and mounted guns—features associated with later armored fighting vehicles.