As a military engineer, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s key beliefs was that mobility was crucial to victory on the battlefield. This idea is seen in many of his war inventions, from his mobile bridges and ladders to many of his weapon designs. A prime example is da Vinci’s triple barrel canon invention.

During da Vinci’s time, canons were generally used at home in stationary positions rather than on the battlefield. This was because they were heavy and took a lot of time to reload. Da Vinci designed his triple barrel canon to solve both of these problems – a fast and light weapon that could do a lot of damage on the battlefield.

The design featured three thin canons that would be front-loaded and adjustable in height. Unlike a traditional canon, where one shot would be fired before reloading, da Vinci’s canon allowed soldiers to load three shots at once, enabling them to fire more frequently. The lighter weight and large wheels allowed the gun carriage to be moved around to different areas during battle.

It is also of note that, while gunpowder was in its infancy during the 15th century, Leonardo used it frequently in his designs, predicting its eventual emergence as the weapon of choice in 19th- and 20th-century warfare.

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