What cart did Leonardo da Vinci design with blades intended to cut through enemy formations?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a scythed chariot with rotating blades intended to attack enemy formations.

The design shows a horse-drawn cart fitted with long blades that extend from rotating wheels. As the chariot moved, the blades were meant to sweep around the vehicle and strike nearby soldiers. Leonardo’s drawings belong to his military-engineering work, in which he studied both ancient weapons and new mechanical arrangements.

Scythed chariots were not Leonardo’s invention in the broad historical sense. Ancient armies, especially in the Near East and the Hellenistic world, had used chariots equipped with blades or scythes. Leonardo’s contribution was a Renaissance redesign using mechanical elements and a more elaborate rotating arrangement.

The device was a proposal rather than a documented successful weapon. It would have endangered friendly troops and animals as well as opponents, making control a serious practical problem. That is why it should not be confused with Leonardo’s armored car or artillery designs.