Leonardo da Vinci designed a scythed chariot with blades mounted on its wheels to attack nearby soldiers.
The concept adapted the ancient scythed-chariot idea into a powered or animal-drawn battlefield vehicle. Rotating blades extended from the sides and were intended to strike infantry as the chariot moved through a formation. Leonardo’s drawing shows a complex arrangement of wheels, shafts, and cutting blades.
The design belongs to Leonardo’s military notebooks, where he investigated weapons, fortifications, and transport. Like many of his war machines, it is best understood as an engineering proposal rather than a proven battlefield invention.
The scythed chariot is distinct from Leonardo’s armored vehicle, which is often popularly called a tank. It is also different from the earlier ancient chariots used by armies in the Near East and Mediterranean, although Leonardo’s design drew on that historical tradition.