Canon

Combat knife

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 There is more information available on this subject at Combat knife on the English Wikipedia.
This article is about the UNSC weapon. For other uses, see Knife.
Various combat knives. Image partly reused in the Halo Encyclopedia (2022).
Various combat knife types. All manufactured by Misriah Armory.

"A sharp blade never runs out of ammo, doesn't need to recharge, and can't be disabled by EMP. It can be gripped even when mortally wounded and the Mjolnir's power has failed. It can never betray you or be turned by the Flood. And yet, some in the UNSC are surprised by the rapid adoption and popularity of knife-fighting skills among Spartans."
— An observation regarding Spartan combat knife use.[1]

A combat knife is a knife designed for close-quarters combat. They are primarily used for trench warfare and boarding actions.[2]

The Covenant use knives as well; the Jiralhanae use their own combat knives as well as a multitude of bayonet-like blades. The Sangheili sometimes use curveblades, which inspired the design of the Type-1 energy sword. The blamite-bladed energy cutlass is an analogous weapon used by the Kig-Yar.[3][4]

Overview[edit]

The M1 combat knife.

Design details[edit]

One version of the UNSC's multi-purpose combat knife has a 20-centimeter (7.9 in) blade made of high carbon steel, an anti-flash, non-reflective titanium carbide coating, edge coated for corrosion resistance and is 43.3 centimeters (1 ft 5.0 in) long when sheathed. It is also balanced for throwing.[5] The Spartan-IIIs' standard-issue combat knife features a self-sharpening blade made of a hyperdense material.[6] Modern UNSC combat knives are made of strong enough material to pierce a Spartan's helmet,[7] and the hull of a Lich.[8]

The placement of the combat knife sheath varies depending on the combat uniform and individual loadout, and may be kept, for example, on the shoulder with the handle pointing downward,[9] sideways on the lower back,[10] or on the side of the boot.[11] Some Spartan-IVs keep their knives sheathed in a wrist compartment.[12]

There are a few different manufacturers of combat knives for the UNSC, including Watershed Division[13][9] and Misriah Armory.[2][14][15][16] In some cases, the Misriah logo was printed on the knife blade.[2]

Usage[edit]

Some soldiers in service with the UNSC carry a combat knife of their own design or choice. Major Faison had a very large knife that he kept sheathed at his ankle, with the words "Bug-Hunter" engraved on the blade.[17] Emile-A239 used a large kukri for his weapon of choice.[18] Roland-B210, a member of the SPARTAN-III program's Headhunters division, also used a custom combat knife.[19] Frederic-104 possesses particular skill with combat knives, and it can be interpreted that he has a liking for their use.[20][21] During the Battle of Trove, Sergeant John Forge's combat knife "Lucy" was used to seriously wound Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee, allowing Forge to kill 'Moramee with his own energy sword.[22]

During the Human-Covenant war, the Thornblade would cease production for cost reasons. A small stockpile of them were kept by Team Omega following the Battle for Arcadia.[9] Edward Buck was able to kill Bracktanus with his combat knife during the Battle of New Mombasa.[23]

During the Battle of Kamchatka, Spartan Jameson Locke uses his combat knife to fight and kill Jul 'Mdama the leader of the reformed Covenant.[24]

Jega 'Rdomnai kept Jonah-B283's charred combat knife as a keepsake to remind the blademaster of why he hated the Spartans so much.[25]

Variants[edit]

Large-scale manufacturing and broad leeway with usage means there are hundreds of variations available to UNSC personnel including kukris, ulus, billhooks, and push daggers.[2]

  • Lucy: The combat knife in possession of John Forge.[26]
  • M1 combat knife: A combat knife used by UNSC personnel during the end of the Human-Covenant War.[14]
  • M5 combat knife: The most common knife in service across all UNSC branches. It has an operational history of decades.[2]
  • M11 combat knife: A combat knife designed and built for Spartans.[27][13]
  • MK 88 Ratio: A compact survival and utility knife commonly carried by UNSC and militia forces.[15]
  • Model 52 Navy knife: A large knife preferred by UNSC Navy special forces.[16]
  • Stunblade: A knife fitted on the SECOPS chestplate used by ONI Security and UNSC Marine Corps personnel.[28]
  • Thornblade: An advanced experimental blade manufactured by Watershed Division that requires a charge, but ceased production during the Human-Covenant War due to cost.[29][9]
  • An M1 combat knife and its scabbard.
    An M1 combat knife and its scabbard.
  • An M11 combat knife.
    An M11 combat knife.
  • An MK88 knife.
    An MK88 knife.