What type of weapon did Leonardo da Vinci sketch with a rotating drum holding blades?

Leonardo da Vinci sketched a scythed chariot with blades mounted for sweeping attacks.

His drawing shows a horse-drawn vehicle equipped with rotating blades or scythes. The concept belongs to his studies of military machines and appears to have been intended to disrupt enemy formations. As the chariot moved, the rotating cutting elements could threaten soldiers near its path.

The design drew on the older idea of the scythed chariot, a weapon associated with ancient armies rather than a wholly new invention. Leonardo’s contribution was a mechanical reinterpretation that used a rotating assembly and a more elaborate vehicle arrangement. There is no reliable evidence that his version was built or used in battle.

This machine is sometimes confused with Leonardo’s armored vehicle. The armored vehicle is a covered, conical fighting platform designed to protect its crew and carry guns. The scythed chariot instead depends on mobility and blades, making it a distinct design with a different tactical purpose.