What Leonardo da Vinci war machine used rotating blades to attack soldiers and horses?

Leonardo da Vinci’s scythed chariot used rotating blades to attack soldiers and horses.

The concept placed long blades on a rotating mechanism connected to a horse-drawn chariot. As the vehicle moved, the blades were intended to sweep through nearby troops. Leonardo included the design among his studies of military machines, although the idea itself had ancient precedents in the scythed chariots used by some armies of antiquity.

Leonardo’s version shows his interest in combining mobility with mechanical force. The machine was visually striking, but it would also have posed serious dangers to the animals and people operating it. There is no evidence that Leonardo’s particular design was built and used in battle.

The chariot should not be confused with Leonardo’s armored vehicle, commonly called his tank. The tank relies on protective armor and weapons, while the scythed chariot depends on exposed rotating blades.