Leonardo da Vinci’s armored vehicle design was intended to function as a tank.
Leonardo sketched the vehicle around 1487–1489 while working for Ludovico Sforza in Milan. Its conical, turtle-like shell was covered with metal plates and fitted with several light cannons. Crews would turn internal cranks to drive the wheels, allowing the vehicle to advance while protecting its occupants from weapons fire.
The design is commonly called Leonardo’s tank, but it was never built as a practical Renaissance battlefield vehicle. Its proposed crew, armament, and mobility would have imposed serious limits. A frequently mentioned drawing error would make the wheels turn in conflicting directions; historians often interpret this as either a mistake or a deliberate concealment of the design.
Leonardo’s concept predates modern tanks by centuries, but it was not powered by an engine and did not use the tracked system later associated with tanks. It is best understood as an armored assault vehicle proposed for siege warfare.