The tachanka was a fighting vehicle tractor drawn by a horse used at the time of the Russian Révolution, the First World War and the Second world war.

It was usually a carriage open with a heavy Mitrailleuse installed to the back. It was composed of 2 or 3 team-members (a driver, a gunner and an assistant). The name of the tachanka seems to be an Ukrainian version word tachka , meaning " tank ".

The tactics of the tachanka are similar to that of the Technical, its modern successor. It could approach the target pretending to be a civil vehicle and then to open by opening fire, or then it could pulverize a sector targeted all while moving at high speed. Two methods suitable as well for the military use as in the guerilla. Moreover, because the firepower is concentrated with the back, a tachanka could be defended while leaving after an attack. The tachanka also provided to the cavalry the fast support of machine-guns.

In spite of a certain standardization, the armament of the tachanka was impromptu in the majority of the cases. In Russia mitralleuse heavy standard Maxim was often employed.

The tachanka were also adopted by the Wehrmacht, which employed the model Jf.5 armed with two machine-guns MG34 for anti-aircraft and anti-personnel protection during all the Second world war.