The Renault FT 17 was a French light tank that was among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history. This tank was the first to have its armament within a fully rotating turret. The Renault FT's configuration (crew compartment at the front, engine compartment at the back, and main armament in a revolving turret) became and remains the standard tank layout. Consequently, some historians of armoured warfare have called the Renault FT the world's first modern tank.
Over 3,000 Renault FT tanks were manufactured by French industry, most of them in 1918. During and after World War I, FT tanks were exported in large numbers. Copies and derivative designs were manufactured in the United States, in Italy and in the Soviet Union. The Renault FT saw combat during the interwar conflicts around the world, but was considered obsolete at the outbreak of World War II.
